


He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (2005)

by JennyB



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Fluff, M/M, Soul-Searching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-16
Updated: 2005-08-16
Packaged: 2018-01-16 02:20:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1328290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's more than a child's game -- sometimes you never know what you have until it's gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

“Come on, Seto! You promised!” Jou whined as he wrapped his arms around the brunet’s neck and tried to swivel him around in his chair so that he could kiss him. Naturally, Seto remained impassive, muttering an irritable, “In a minute,” as he stared irately at the screen of code in front of him. Jou sighed heavily and, with an exasperated sigh, he turned to leave his boyfriend alone.

Hearing the disappointment in Jou’s voice and feeling a slight chill as the warm arms slipped from his shoulders, he turned to look at his love. “Jou, I swear I’m just about finished.”

“Mm-hmm,” came the muttered reply as Jou dropped his gaze and reached for the door.

This time it was Seto who sighed. “What is it, Jou?” He stared intently at the half-dressed blond in front of him, noting the hurt expression in the deep amber eyes.

“Nothing,” Jou muttered.

Seto frowned. “Don’t lie to me, Jounouchi,” he said crisply, and Jou looked up at him. Seto only called him by his full name when he was either feeling very amorous or very irritated with him. One look at the cross scowl told Jou it was the latter.

“It’s not important. We can discuss it later.”

“No,” Seto responded tartly, the annoyance now evident in his voice. “You’ve been in here three times already this evening, and now you stand there looking at me like I’m a piece of shit. It must be important.”

“Actually,” Jou began, “I’ve been in here five times – not that I’ve been counting.” He shifted his gaze to Seto, who sat staring back at him with a non-plussed expression on his face. Jou figured it was partly due to the most recent interruption, but mostly due to the fact that he had proven the brunet wrong about something. “Seto, our anniversary is in a week, and tonight we had planned to sit down, have a nice dinner together, and talk about what we wanted to do.”

“We can still do that, Jou,” Seto replied, his voice softening slightly. “As soon as I get through this page, I’ll be up.”

Jou snorted. “Whatever. At 4:30, you told me you just had to check email and to get started on dinner and draw a bath. At 6:00, I drained the cold bathwater and ate my lukewarm steak by myself when you said you’d be just another hour finishing up a contract review. At 7:00, you told me you’d just be a second as you had to review some quarterly earnings report, and at 9:00, you were doing…this.” He gestured at the screen in disgust before continuing. “You promised then that in one hour you were done. Now, here it is, _11:00_ , and you’re telling me to wait a minute?” His eyes were narrowed and his voice was becoming harsher, angrier. “Fuck you, Seto; I’ve been waiting for six and a half _hours_ for you!”

Seto’s anger flared again as he growled, “Look Jounouchi, I’m sorry that I can’t just drop everything on a whim because you need my attention for something. Whatever you want to do is fine; I already told you that! You also knew my work habits coming into this, and you said you were fine with it, so just drop it!”

Jou glared at him for a moment, his lips turned down in a petulant scowl. “Fine, but you don’t have to be all bitchy about it. Don’t ask me what the fuck’s wrong with me if you aren’t prepared for the answer I give you. I’ll be in bed, _if_ you decide to come up.” Angrily, he turned and stalked out of Seto’s office, not bothering to close the door behind him.

“I’ll be right there,” Seto called after him, turning his attention back to his screen.

At 2:30 in the morning, Seto was no longer able to keep his eyes open. He shut down his computer and trudged wearily up to bed, looking forward to curling up with Jou and getting some much-needed rest. Smiling to himself, he twisted the knob to his bedroom, frowning slightly when he saw that the room was in darkness. Jou _always_ left the nightstand lamp on for him. His frown deepened further when he realized that he couldn’t hear the familiar soft, rhythmic breathing of his blond love, either. Flipping on the overhead light, his heart caught in his throat when he saw that the bed was still made and unoccupied. “Jou,” he whispered aloud to the empty room. Had he simply up and left him without so much as a note or an explanation? He glanced around and saw that several of Jou’s things were still strewn about the normally immaculate room, and he slowly let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Jou was still here, but he had chosen somewhere else to sleep for the night. He was torn between anger at the thought of trying to track him down and remorse at the idea that he’d hurt Jou enough to force him away. In the end, remorse won out over anger, and his first instinct was to check the spare bedrooms.

Coming up empty-handed in the obvious, logical places, he began checking Jou’s other favourite haunts – the TV room, the kitchen, the games room and the pool, but still no Jou. As he was passing the parlour, or as Jou liked to call it, ‘the museum’, he spied a brief flash of gold peeking out from behind the arm of the black leather sofa. Entering the room, he felt a tug at his heart and his lips curved up in a smile as he looked down at the sleeping blond, his flaxen tresses splayed out across the arm and his body nestled in his white Battle City trench coat. As carefully as he could, he scooped Jou up into his arms, coat and all, and carried him upstairs to their room. Gently, he laid the blond down, tenderly removing his coat and pulling the blanket up in its stead. As he shifted the sheet, a folded up piece of paper slipped from Jou’s clasped hand and dropped to the floor with a flutter. After giving Jou a loving kiss on the forehead, he knelt down and picked it up. Curious, he opened it and scanned it, his eyes darkening in anger as he read the words:

_Things to do tomorrow:_

_1\. Call Seto’s secretary and make sure I’m pencilled in for our anniversary on 9/16 – Hoping for 15:00 on, but will settle for 18:00…_

_2\. Learn temporal physics to understand the concept of a minute in the Kaiba universe…_

_3\. Call proctologist to have rod surgically removed from Seto’s ass…_

‘What the hell is this?’ Seto wondered to himself, knowing he needed to hear an explanation for such a document. In any other context, he would have found the note somewhat amusing, but after tonight, it only served to piss him off even further. A little more forcibly than was required, Seto gave Jou a sharp poke in the side, followed by a none-too-gentle shake.

Groggily, the blond sat up and, when he saw Seto, he smiled and leaned forward to put a soft kiss on his cheek. “Hey,” he said softly, his voice still thick with sleep. “You decided to come to bed.”

“What’s this list about?” Seto demanded, handing the paper to Jou.

“You woke me up for this?” he asked incredulously, taking the paper. The blond frowned in confusion, trying to force his eyes to focus as he started to read, his face becoming paler by the moment. “Oh fuck,” he whispered, forcing himself to look at the irate brunet. “Seto, you weren’t supposed to see this. After we spoke last, I was angry, and rather than blow up at you, I wrote a bunch of crap down to help me feel better. I was going to shred it, but I just wanted to close my eyes for a second, and the next thing I knew, I woke up here.”

“Is that what you really think of me?” he growled, his eyes cold and clouded with hurt.

“God no, Seto! But haven’t you ever been really angry and said hurtful things to someone you later regretted? I didn’t want to fight with you, so I just wrote down everything that popped into my head. It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like ‘nothing’, Jounouchi.”

“Well, it is. Would you rather I’d have come back, interrupted your _precious_ work, and said that I think you’re a selfish, insensitive, inconsiderate asshole? That you blow me off to work on stupid shit that some lackey could just as easily take care of because you know that I’m stupid enough to hang around like a dumb dog waiting for you? Would that have made you feel better?” Jou was now wide awake and equally as pissed off as his lover. “For Christ’s sake, Seto, we’ve been together for nearly a year now…I’d think you’d know me better than that and know that, despite your weird quirks, I love you!”

The brunet snorted contemptuously, reminding Jou of the attitude he’d so often displayed in their earlier years. “I _thought_ I knew you, Jounouchi, but apparently, not as well as I’d thought.”

“So what now, then?” Jou snarled back. “Do you want me to go sleep in the other room or something?” He saw the slight narrowing of the brunet’s eyes at the suggestion, but felt his stomach sink when Seto didn’t say anything to reassure him; he merely turned his back to the blond and folded his arms stubbornly across his chest. “You’re fucking insane, do you know that?” Jou growled as he violently tossed the sheet aside and climbed out of bed, stepping out of the black flannel pyjama pants and slipping on a pair of jeans. With an incredulous shake of his head, he went to the bureau and pulled out a loose fitting white t-shirt and angrily tugged it over his head. With a glare rivalling that of his lover, he said, “I’ve got an even better idea. Since you don’t seem to want me in the same room as you, I’ll do you one better. I’m going to Yugi’s for the night. You obviously need some time and space to calm down and get your head together.”

Seto’s eyes widened in surprise as he watched Jou pull on his sneakers and grab his jacket off of the floor from where it had fallen from the back of the desk chair. His heart told him to stop Jou – that they needed to work this out before things got further out of hand. Unfortunately, his mouth reacted before his brain could formulate a sensible plan and, in his anger and hurt he blurted out, “If you go, then don’t bother coming back. It’s not like I care one way or another…” He saw Jou’s step falter and, for a moment, he thought that the blond would display his usual temper and come at him, only to be captured by Seto, his anger transforming to unbridled passion. Instead, he watched as Jou pulled the promise ring from his finger and carefully set it on the desk.

With a heavy heart, Jou looked through pain-clouded eyes at the belligerent brunet and whispered softly, “I see… Then you might as well keep this; after all, what good is a promise if the words are meaningless?”

At first, Seto stood resolute, his jaw set stubbornly as he finally met Jou’s gaze, his sapphire eyes frozen with cool indifference. He saw the impending tears welling up in the blond’s eyes, but he forced himself to believe he didn’t care. Jou had hurt him first, after all; he’d just returned the gesture. It wasn’t until he heard the soft click of the door being closed that he was jolted back to the grave reality of the situation. Jou had _given back_ his promise ring, and was leaving. He needed to stop the blond, and quickly. He threw open his door and raced down the front staircase, taking the steps two at a time to catch up to Jou, frantically calling his name. He saw the blond standing in the foyer, saw his shoulders stiffen as he heard Seto’s frantic pleas, but Jou ignored him and threw open the door, running down the front porch to his waiting motorcycle. Now panicked, Seto jumped down the front steps, intent on putting himself between Jou’s bike and the front gate. But, the blond proved to be much quicker than he’d anticipated. In desperation, Seto reached for him, missing his arm by mere inches, but it may as well have been a mile. His head hanging slightly as he watched the retreating taillights, he said bitterly, “Jou… I’m sorry…”

With a heavy sigh, he returned to his now-empty room, carefully picking up Jou’s ring from the desk and slipping it over his own finger. ‘I’ll just hold on to it for now until I can give it back to him,’ he told himself as he sat on Jou’s side of the bed, curling up in the still-warm blanket and inhaling the lingering scent of Jou’s shampoo. His eyes flicked over to the crumpled up piece of paper sitting on the end table and he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. Jou was right; it had simply been a way for him to vent his frustration and, as he reread the note, Seto smirked sadly. In context, the comments were highly amusing. But now, his arrogant pride combined with that little piece of paper had all but ruined everything that he and Jou had built over the past year. With a wry smile, Seto figured that _if_ he was lucky enough to earn a second chance with the blond, he was going to make it up to Jou – no matter what.

Seto rolled over to his side, stretching out his arm for the cordless phone that he kept on his nightstand. With a cursory glance at the clock, he dialled the Mutou’s number and waited. After a few rings, the line was answered by a very awake sounding Yugi.

“Yugi, let me speak with Jounouchi,” he demanded. “Please,” he added, almost as an afterthought.

“Uh, Kaiba…I really don’t think Jou wants to talk to you right now…” Yugi replied, and Seto could hear Jou’s voice in the background, but couldn’t make out what he was saying.

“Yugi, I did something…” He drew a deep breath, “…Stupid tonight, and I need to apologize for it.” 

He heard muffled talking, and figured that Yugi had covered up the mouthpiece to talk to Jou. A few moments later, Yugi returned to the line. “Hang on a second, Kaiba. He’s coming to the phone.”

There was the sound of approaching footsteps, and then he heard Jou hiss, “Screw you,” before there was a click and the line went dead. His heart sank as he realized that Jou had hung up on him. Dejectedly, he flopped down on his bed, cuddling Jou’s pillow to his chest – a poor substitute for the real thing, he thought with a sigh. Perhaps in the morning, Jou would be less angry with him and would be willing to talk to him… Clinging tightly to that hope, he drifted off into a fretful sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Seto was up early and on the phone with his secretary. Through some creative re-arrangement of his schedule, he’d managed to free up the next three evenings – vowing to use that time solely for Jou. He’d also called in a favour from one of his acquaintances and had arranged to have a small dragon plushie holding an exquisite dress watch delivered to Yugi’s house before Jou left for school. Arriving in his classroom, he was surprised to see that Jou was already there and surrounded by his friends. His eyes flicked over to the blond who was chatting animatedly in his group and completely ignoring him. He smiled wistfully when Jou let out a hearty laugh at something Honda had said. Steeling his nerves, he approached the group and politely asked Jou for a moment of his time.

Jou glared at him for a moment, and then excused himself, stepping over to Seto’s desk. “What do you want?” he demanded coldly, the dark circles under his eyes, indicative of his sleepless night, making him look almost deranged.

“I wanted to apologize for what I said last night, Jou.” He moved to take the blond’s hand in his, feeling a stab of pain in his heart when Jou quickly pulled his hand back. “I also wanted to let you know I’ve got the next three evenings free; we can do anything you want to.”

For a moment, the hard expression on Jou’s face wavered, but quickly slipped back into place. “Gee, that’s too bad…I think I’m all booked up to the end of the weekend. It’s funny how you can manage to find the time now, ne?” Jou saw the hurt expression on Seto’s face, and he was filled with a mixture of satisfaction and remorse. Taking a deep breath, he pushed aside his feelings – the brunet needed to be taught a lesson about appreciating the things he had. “By the way, you can’t buy me back with gifts, Seto. It doesn’t work that way.” Jou scowled and dumped Seto’s unopened gift onto the brunet’s desk, walking stiffly back to his friends.

The brunet slumped into his chair. Jou was still mad at him but, if he had interpreted that brief change of expression right, he knew he hadn’t yet lost him. The bell rang and, while he listened to the sensei lecture about the not-so riveting world of mathematics, he found that his heart and his eyes were focused solely on Jounouchi.

By the end of the day, Seto was unsure about a lot of things. Jou was being stubbornly obstinate about not seeing him; every time he tried to approach the blond, either Honda or Anzu would grab Jou and disappear with him while the other covered their escape. It was maddening and, against his better judgment, he was half-tempted to speak with Yugi and see if he could get the short teen’s assistance with his problem. With a little more force than was absolutely necessary, Seto dialled the combination to his locker and flung the door open, startling a couple of students further down the hallway with the echoing bang. He went to gather his books, and then froze when he saw an envelope sitting on his stack of texts, a single rose petal and a chocolate kiss taped to it. Curiously, he picked the white envelope up and, seeing no message, turned it over in his hands. His heart raced as he read, ‘Do not read until you’re alone’ scrawled across the back flap in Jou’s semi-legible handwriting. Hurriedly, he grabbed what he needed, tossed everything into his briefcase, and went out to his waiting limo. 

Once he was sitting in the plush seat, he pulled the envelope out again, and simply stared at it for a few moments. He wondered what the significance of the candy and the flower petal were; more importantly, he wondered what Jou had written to him about. Nervously, he started to tear open the envelope, when he was interrupted by the voice of his driver over the intercom.

“Excuse me, Sir…Where do you want to go?”

Seto frowned slightly. He wasn’t expected at KaibaCorp this afternoon, and he didn’t feel like going home to an empty house just yet. “The pier,” he finally replied.

“Sir?”

Kaiba scowled as his voice rose crisply. “Did I stutter? I said the pier!”

“Y-yes, Sir,” came the nervous reply, and within moments, he could feel the car pulling away from the curb. While the limo made its way through the afternoon traffic, Seto tore the envelope the rest of the way open, but didn’t pull out the letter. He would wait until he arrived at the pier before reading it. Although he vehemently denied any belief in superstition and fate, he thought that, by coming to one of Jou’s favourite places, it would somehow prevent the news inside from being bad.

He felt the car park, and he rolled down the window a bit, letting the pale September sun stream in. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out the sheet of paper and began to read:

_Seto_

_After the shit you pulled last night, I’m confused. I know you’re under a lot of stress, but I think that you put yourself there most times. I understand that your company means a lot to you, but damn it, I should mean something to you, too. I know I said I was cool with you taking off to work for hours at a time, but today, after you managed to miraculously free up three nights, I’m starting to think you’ve taken me for granted. A relationship is two way, Seto, and you can’t keep expecting me to make sacrifices while you brush me off for whatever whim comes your way._

_I was going through my journal last night – yes, I keep a journal; sue me. For longer than I care to remember, I’ve wanted to be with you and have a relationship with you. When it finally happened, I was overjoyed but, as I look back over the past year, I can see that not everything has been sunshine and rainbows. And, when I look at how often things have been less than perfect between us, it makes me sad – I’d do anything for you…but what about you? Do you care or don’t you? I’ve heard you tell me both._

_I think that this has been a long time coming – last night was just the final straw. The question I asked myself time and again last night was do I still love you, or do am I in love with the idea of being with you? After some hard thinking, I know how I feel, but where do I stand in your eyes?_

_To that end, I’ve decided that you need to be reminded of what we’ve been through over the past year. You know that game ‘He loves me, he loves me not’ that schoolgirls play with daisies out in the playground? Well, consider this a new version. I’m going to let you read some of my journal entries – and by the end, you should have your answer. Maybe if you see things through my eyes, you’ll understand me a bit better, ne?_

_We’ll see what the future brings us – it’s up to you, Seto._

_Jou_

Seto frowned slightly and reread Jou’s letter, feeling himself getting angry with the blond for choosing to play such a childish game rather than speaking with him directly. As he read the letter for a third time, his eyes landed on ‘it’s up to you, Seto…’ and he quirked an eyebrow. Jou _was_ giving him a second chance. He just wasn’t exactly sure what he needed to do. He’d have to wait for further clues. Settling back in his seat, he instructed his driver to take him home. 

When he entered his home, he was immediately aware of just how large and empty his house felt without the familiar blond in it. Heaving a sigh, he turned his attention to the mail that had been placed on the hallway credenza, wondering absently where Mokuba was, and then feeling a slight chill of loneliness pass through him as he remembered that tonight was Mokuba’s after-school group. He began sorting through the various invitations, charity requests and other routine correspondence when his heart started to hammer forcibly in his chest. There, nestled among the expensive cardstocks and legal bond papers, was a plain white envelope with a Hershey’s kiss and a single rose petal taped to the outside.


	2. Chapter Two

With trembling fingers, Seto turned the envelope over in his hands, seeing nothing but his name printed across the back flap in block capitals. Clutching the envelope to his chest, he hurried up the stairs to his room and quickly changed into a pair of black lounge pants and an old, grey t-shirt. He flopped down on his bed, lying on his stomach with Jou’s pillow clutched in his arms, and staring at the still unopened envelope in front of him. There was no stamp on the envelope, so Seto could only assume that Jou had put it in the mailbox on his way home from school. With a small frown, he cursed himself for not coming straight home at the end of the day – perhaps he could have caught Jou and sat him down to talk.

He folded his arms across the pillow and laid his head upon it, trying to think of anything but the fact that Jou wasn’t there with him. He supposed that, in a way, Jou was right. He had become accustomed to simply having the blond there whenever he wanted him and, even though Jou was left to his own devices while Seto frequently worked in the afternoons, just knowing that he was close by was a comfort. Seto let out a heavy sigh, and his eye was drawn back to the innocuous looking white envelope. Hesitantly, he picked it up, finding the cool, smooth paper soothing against his heated fingers. Gingerly, he tore open the envelope and pulled out two sheets of paper. Setting the envelope on the comforter beside him, he read the first one:

_Seto_

_I hope that you got my first letter; otherwise this isn’t going to make a whole lot of sense to you._

_I know that on some level, you care for me…or at least you did, or you pretended to. Granted, back when I wrote this particular entry, you weren’t the most romantic guy, but you have gotten better – when you think about it, that is. Still, even then, I knew you had a lot of passion within you, and a lot of deep emotions. And, though you couldn’t express yourself through words, your actions spoke volumes._

_I know that somewhere inside of you, this part of you still exists. It’s just buried under the mound of shit you subject yourself to on a daily basis. It’s great that you want to succeed and be the best you can be, but I don’t think that you have to prove anything to anyone anymore. Think about that, and know that there is a part of me that misses the sweet, insecure you…_

Seto frowned as he lowered the sheet of paper and stared blankly at the wall in front of him. Still confused as to the point of Jou’s exercise, he shuffled the papers and looked down at the second one. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the date: September 16 – the day they had ‘officially’ started seeing each other. As he poured over Jou’s words, he found his mind wandering back to that particular evening.

_September 16_

_I cannot fucking believe it! I waited two years for tonight, and it finally happened – I had a date with Kaiba. At first, I wasn’t sure if this was just another one of his tricks to embarrass and humiliate me. I mean, who asks someone out by saying, ‘If you’ve got nothing better to do on Friday, meet me at Angelo’s at 6:00’?_

_Still, I dragged my sorry ass there, trying to look my best. Kaiba is one of the most fashionable people in town, and I didn’t want to embarrass him by showing up looking like me… I got there just before 6:00, and sat down to wait for him. By 6:15, when he still hadn’t shown up, I was beginning to think he’d stood me up…_

* * *

‘Fuck me,’ the blond thought miserably as he waved the waiter off for the third time, hot tears of humiliation beginning to prickle at the corners of his eyes. ‘I should have known better than to think he’d actually show. I mean, what am I but a dumb mutt like he says, ne?’ Jou reached into his back pocket for some money to pay for the soda he’d ordered when a calm voice in his ear made him jump.

“Thinking about running out on me, Koinu?” Seto asked casually as he took his place in the seat across from Jou and set his napkin across his lap.

“Kaiba!” Jou exclaimed in surprise. “I was just, uh…I mean…” Regrouping his thoughts, he stared fixedly at the brunet and said, “You’re late.”

Seto chuckled softly, his eyes soft, his features relaxed as he looked at Jou. “Yes, I’m terribly sorry about that. They had a water main break downtown, and I had to not only fight traffic, but _detoured_ traffic.”

Jou said nothing, but merely nodded. “S’ok,” he muttered, his eyes shyly flicking up to meet the brunet’s, and then dropping back to his lap. From behind the blond fringe of bangs, he noted Kaiba’s casual black slacks and Henley shirt, and his omnipresent trench coat – this one dark navy. “You look nice,” he added, taking a long sip of his drink.

“Hn,” Kaiba replied with a smile – not a smirk, but a true smile as he stared intently at the blond seated across from him. Seto had always found Jou attractive, but tonight, dressed in black jeans and a black and grey striped rugby shirt that was slightly too big for him and most likely borrowed from Honda, he looked stunning. “You look delectable,” Seto replied evenly, his smile widening as he saw the pink tinge colour Jou’s cheeks.

“You think so?” Jou blurted out, immediately chastising himself for asking such a foolish question. “I mean, thanks. I, uh…didn’t want to embarrass you by showing up looking like a charity case, you know?” he added, now finding himself unable to stop rambling.

“Koinu!” Seto interrupted with another chuckle. “Relax! You don’t need to impress me – I’ve already noticed you, ne?” Jou flushed even pinker, and Seto found the reaction quite endearing. “So,” he continued, trying to change the subject, “Have you decided what you would like?”

The blond bit his tongue to keep from blurting out, ‘You’, and, after taking a moment to compose himself, nodded slightly and said, “Spaghetti and meatballs. My mom used to make it the best, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen her; we don’t get along too well, see, and I…” Jou trailed off, once again embarrassed for having said too much.

Seto nodded. “I understand. It’s a comfort food for you, right?” When Jou nodded, the brunet smiled and beckoned to their waiter so that he could place their orders. While they waited, Seto crossed his arms and placed them casually on the tabletop as he leaned closer to Jou. “Thank you,” he said after a few moments.

The blond looked up in surprise from where he had been absently picking at a wayward thread on his napkin. “For what?” he asked, his head cocked to the side quizzically.

“For tonight,” Seto replied softly. “For being here, for not laughing when I asked you.” A brief flash of discomfort washed across the brunet’s face, and he dropped his gaze to the tabletop. “Despite my position, I don’t…date a lot.”

At this, Jou smiled tenderly. Seeing the brunet so open and vulnerable made his heart swell with compassion and understanding for the normally standoffish and aloof teen. “I kind of figured that,” he said with a smile. When he saw Seto’s eyes widen slightly in surprise, he quickly added, “I mean, it’s not like I’ve got people pounding down my door, either. It’s ok, Kaiba. I’m just happy you asked me.”

Seto smiled in return and, as the waiter brought their meals, the two ate in comfortable silence. Jou noted with some surprise that the brunet had ordered ravioli, having figured something more chic like lobster Alfredo would have been better suited to his refined tastes. 

‘Maybe he likes simple, common things,’ Jou thought to himself. ‘Things like… me.’ His mind suddenly racing with questions, he set down his fork and asked, “Hey Kaiba, why me?” He saw the curious look that Seto sent his way, and he elaborated. “I mean, I’m sure you could have your pick of supermodels, actors, rich business executives – why would you want someone like me?”

Seto chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then set down his own utensils and looked at Jou, tenting his fingers casually beneath his chin. Flicking his tongue out and running it across his upper lip, he nodded. “You’re right. I could have any of those people if I wanted to, but I don’t. First of all, I want nothing to do with those superficial, pretentious people who are only concerned with money and what they can get from me. Second, I like you. You’re not afraid to tell me what you think, and you’re one of the most honest and genuine people I know. Besides, Mokuba adores you, and I tend to find his assessments of people unerring. Last, is it my fault that I find you so incredibly gorgeous that I can barely think of anything but you?  
You’re particularly beautiful when you’re angry, but after tonight, I think I’ve found an expression I enjoy even more.” He smirked when he saw Jou’s face tinge with colour once again, and he added, “Yes, that one. You have the most adorable blush.”

Jou felt his cheeks heat even more, but said nothing; he merely smiled at the brunet and continued to toy with the noodles still on his plate, occasionally eating another bite and trying to stay focused on the conversation. When they had finished eating and Seto had paid the bill, they walked out of the restaurant together. “Well, thanks for dinner, Kaiba,” Jou said as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and started to walk away.

“Jou, wait,” Seto called after him, quickly catching up and falling in step beside him. “Do you want to do something else with me? Maybe see a movie?”

Jou flashed him a brilliant grin. “Sure, Kaiba! What do you want to see?”

The brunet shrugged. “Let’s just head down to the Cineplex and see what’s playing.” 

In the end, they had decided on the latest suspense thriller and, armed with sodas and popcorn, the pair found some seats near the back of the theatre. Shortly after the film started, Seto hesitantly reached his hand across the armrest, taking Jou’s in his and intertwining their fingers. 

The blond let out a sharp gasp of surprise and turned to look at Seto, whose sapphire gaze was fixed intently upon him. Giving the brunet a shy smile, he slowly stroked the back of Seto’s hand with his thumb, his heart racing in his chest when he saw the other smile and relax back in his seat.

They stayed like that throughout the entire movie; however, neither was really paying attention to the action on the screen. Each was lost in his own fantasy world, reflecting on the events of the evening, and enjoying the casual, yet intimate touch between them. By the time the credits started to roll, Jou was leaning into Seto, his head resting comfortably on the brunet’s shoulder, and Seto had his head resting atop Jou’s golden mop. And, when it came time to leave, Seto refused to let go of Jou’s hand, maintaining a tight grip on the blond as they went out into the lobby and headed back to the street.

Once outside, Jou sighed heavily as he looked at his watch. “It’s getting late, Kaiba. I’d better get home.”

“Can I give you a ride?”

Jou beamed. “Sure, that’d be great; thanks! Beats walking or trying to catch the bus at this time of night!”

Keeping his hold on Jou, the two walked the two blocks to Seto’s parked BMW Z4. The brunet unlocked the passenger side door, and only when Jou had dropped into his seat did Seto finally let go of his hand. Sliding behind the wheel, he pulled the car out onto the street and headed for Jou’s apartment building. When he pulled up alongside the curb, the brunet let out a heavy sigh.

“What’s wrong, Kaiba?” Jou asked, a note of concern in his voice.

“Nothing,” Seto replied with a small shake of his head. “It’s just that I can’t believe the night is over already.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jou said, a soft smile on his lips. “Time flies when you’re having fun, ne?”

The brunet turned to look at Jou, a sad smile on his face. “Indeed. Jou, would you consider…” He trailed off, closing his eyes as if searching through a vast filing cabinet for the information he wanted. Opening them again, Seto looked Jou directly in the eye and said evenly, “I want to date you exclusively. What do you think?”

Jou’s smile widened as he heard the brunet’s awkward proposition. “I think I’d like that a lot, Kaiba,” he replied, giving Seto’s hand a small squeeze.

“Seto,” the brunet replied softly.

Jou blinked in momentary confusion. “Beg pardon?”

“I’d like it if you called me ‘Seto’ instead of ‘Kaiba’. That would make two people that I permit to call me by my first name.” He looked seriously at Jou for a moment, then asked, “May I call you ‘Katsuya’?”

Jou made a face. “God, I hate that name, but if you want to, you can. Although, I really do prefer ‘Jou’, or…” He looked hesitantly at Seto. “In your case, I kind of like ‘Koinu’.”

Seto nodded. “Ok, Koinu. I would like to see you tomorrow, if you’re able.”

Jou smiled. “I’d like that. Thanks for everything tonight…Seto.” He opened his door and climbed out into the cool night air, heading for his building. He was just putting his key in the lock for the front door when he felt a presence behind him. In a panic, he whirled around to see Seto standing there. “Kai – Seto!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise. “Jesus, you move like a damned cat!”

“Sorry I startled you,” Seto replied softly. “But there’s something I wanted to give you earlier…and I just now found my resolve.”

“Ok, what?” Jou asked, a puzzled smile on his lips.

“This,” Seto breathed as he pulled Jou into his arms and, tipping Jou’s chin towards him, he lowered his lips to the blond’s. The effect of their embrace was instant and explosive. Seto felt like there were a hundred thousand little lightning bolts striking every square inch of his body, making him feel light headed and dizzy and giddy all at the same time. He increased the pressure against Jou’s mouth, the tip of his tongue flicking out to tease along Jou’s lower lip, coaxing the blond to respond. He heard Jou let out a tiny, wanton whimper, and shuddered with anticipation as he felt Jou eagerly flick out his tongue to taste the brunet, moaning lowly when Jou’s hands came up to twine in silky, auburn tresses. Within moments, the kiss had deepened, and Seto had Jou pressed firmly against the glass door of his building as their tongues duelled for dominance. Finally, the need for air forced them to pull apart, and Seto was left panting and breathless as he stared through half-lidded eyes at an equally out of breath Jou. “Goodnight, Koinu,” he purred as he stepped away from the blond and headed back to his car. “Pleasant dreams.”

* * *

_It was our first kiss – and though I know that there will be others, this one will always have the most meaning for me. It was special – full of passion and raw neediness and emotion. I always suspected Kaiba had these things inside of him and that he was just waiting to show them. Looks like I was right. I know for sure that I definitely have feelings for him, and that kiss – holy fuck, can he kiss! I find myself wanting more and more of him. It sounds sick, but I feel like a junkie waiting for my next hit, anxious because I know I won’t get any until tomorrow, wondering what I can do to get more now._

_And, the icing on the cake is that we’re now officially a couple! Yugi will be happy for me, but I bet Honda’s going to give me some bullshit lecture. Even though I’m three months older than him, he still tends to treat me like a little brother. Annoying! Anyway, this is probably the best day of my life so far, and I can only assume things will be even better from here!_

Seto sighed as he folded up the sheets of paper and slipped them back into the envelope. He, like Jou, had thought that to be one of the best days of his life. It had felt so _right_ to finally let someone…no, _Jou_ into his life, and he, too, had found himself pining for more of the blond’s contact. In the time that they had been together, Jou had proven to be a very quick learner, and knew how to get Seto’s motor running with the simplest touch. 

He smiled as he remembered driving home that night, already planning what he and Jou would be doing the next night. Every time he would lick his lip, he could taste the blond, and feel warmth radiate through his body at the memory. Jou had filled the void in his heart and the ache in his soul. And he remembered promising himself that he would always make Jou his top priority. Now that he knew what it felt like to be whole, he knew he didn’t want to feel empty again.

Sadly, Jou had been sorely mistaken in his assumption that things between them would get better and better. Were that the case, his blond would be lying next to him right now, and he wouldn’t be reading and reminiscing about past events. He crossed his arms on top of the pillow and laid his head on his forearms, staring unseeingly across the room. 

“It’s strange, Seto…you used to make me feel needed and special.”

The brunet jumped as he looked towards the doorway and saw Jou standing there, his lanky frame leaning casually against the door jamb, a lopsided grin on his face. “Jou?” he breathed.

“You used to get up early in the mornings to work so you could keep evenings free. It seemed like you actually were willing to put in the time and effort, ne? What happened to that, Seto? Are you that arrogant that you think I’ll always be here, waiting for you?”

“No, it’s not that!” Seto pleaded. “I just –“

Jou narrowed his eyes as he looked at the brunet. “Just what?” he interrupted, his voice laced with malice and spite. “You grew complacent? You think you don’t need to do anything else to keep me? For Christ’s sake, Seto, it hasn’t even been a _year_ , and you’re back to your old ways. You told me you’d always make me feel wanted. Or, was that just another hollow promise?”

Seto’s eyes widened at Jou’s words – hauntingly similar to those spoken by the blond when he had given him back his ring. As he absently toyed with the thin band of metal with his thumb, he could feel the humiliating sting of penitent tears and the weight of a guilty conscience resting heavily on his soul. 

Jou stared impassively at the brunet, his eyes dancing with glee at the sight of the wounded form before him. “What’s wrong, Seto?” he taunted mockingly. “Truth hurt? Well, it’s no worse than how you’ve made me feel. You’re just lucky I have such a strong spirit and faith in you.”

“Why’s that?” Seto asked, unable to keep the tremor from his voice.

Jou’s expression softened as he crossed the room and knelt down next to Seto, his fingers gently caressing the brunet’s cheek. “Not everyone is strong enough to handle that kind of pain, Seto. Sometimes people are driven to seek their own solutions, however misguided or irrational they might seem.” The blond’s expression darkened as he gave the brunet a cruel smirk. “And, while it might not have technically been by your own hand, take some solace in knowing that _you_ were the one that helped to pull the trigger.” In an instant, Jou drew a small revolver from where it had been concealed behind his back, and brought it swiftly to his temple. He blew a kiss at the brunet, and with a wink, he pulled the trigger, just as Seto screamed his name.

The brunet sat bolt upright in his bed, his cry reverberating off the walls as his heart hammered erratically in his chest. He looked around and found that the room was in darkness, the soft, purple light of approaching twilight flittering in through his window and casting long shadows across the floor. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and the wayward tears from his cheek, heaving a small sigh of relief that it had been nothing more than a nightmare. Reflexively, he reached out and grabbed the telephone, his fingers automatically dialling a number.

“Hello?” Yugi’s soft voice answered.

“Yugi, I need to talk to Jou, right now!” Seto replied, the agitation evident in his voice.

“Kaiba?” Yugi replied, his voice full of concern. “You sound awful! Are you ok?”

“Damn it, Yugi! Just put him on the phone…I need to talk to him.”

“Kaiba, I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Jou’s sleeping and I’m not going to wake him. He came home with a migraine this afternoon, and he’s been sleeping ever since.”

“But he’s ok, right?”

“Yes,” Yugi replied, obviously puzzled. “It’s just a migraine. He does get them from time to time you know.”

Seto felt a wave of relief wash over him as he realized that Jou was safe and sound in Yugi’s care. His heart ached as he wished he could be there himself tending to Jou, but at least his mind was at ease. “Chamomile tea and a hot bath tend to help him, Yugi.”

“Ok, Kaiba. Do you want me to tell him you called?”

“N-no, that’s alright. Just take care of him, ok?” He hung up the phone and dropped the handset onto the mattress, sitting mutely for several moments as he tried to compose himself. Once his heart rate had returned to normal, he got up from the bed and padded into his bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. As he dried himself off, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, for the first time noticing the way he oozed self-importance and conceit. Filled with self-loathing, he whispered, “You broke a vow you swore to yourself. If the situation were reversed, I’d have left you, too.” His features twisting into an angry snarl, he drew back his fist and, with a growl of frustration, he punched the mirror, feeling a sense of satisfaction as it shattered.


	3. Chapter Three

Jou had had the mother of all migraines. Around 10:30, he finally woke up and prowled off in search of something to eat. Wandering down to the Mutou’s kitchen, Jou was surprised to see Yugi sitting at the table, working on yet another puzzle. “What’re you still doing up, Yug’?” he asked, stifling a slight yawn.

“I was worried about you. How’s your head?”

“Hmm, better now. Doesn’t feel like there’s a jackhammer trying to drill through my skull anymore.” He opened the fridge and began rummaging through the various containers, lifting the corner of the occasional one to give a tentative sniff. Finally deciding on the old standby of peanut butter and jelly, he shut the fridge with his hip and went to the cupboard to retrieve the necessary items. Setting the loaf of bread on the table, he sat down opposite Yugi and began to smear peanut butter onto one of the slices. He looked up in surprise when Yugi pulled a steaming mug from the microwave and slid it towards him. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Chamomile tea. Kaiba said it would help you.”

“Kaiba?” Jou exclaimed in surprise. “Seto was here?”

“No,” Yugi replied with a smile. “He called.”

“Really?” Jou answered with a grin as he took a huge bite out of his sandwich. “That’s interesting.” 

“Jou,” Yugi sighed. “How long are you going to stay mad at Kaiba for?”

The blond smiled wistfully. “I’m not mad at him anymore, Yug’. I can never be mad at him for _too_ long; you know that. I still want to be with him, but I want to be a part of his life _beside_ him, not as a background accessory. And he needs to want that, too, but I can’t force that on him. That’s something he has to want on his own.” Popping the last bite of sandwich into his mouth, he picked up his mug, and with a good night nod to his short friend, he headed upstairs to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Jou smiled softly when he opened his locker and saw the thermos of chamomile tea waiting for him. He dumped his coffee into a nearby water fountain and filled his travel mug with the hot liquid, his heart melting when he saw that it had been made with steamed milk and honey, just the way he liked it. He took a sip and was just about to seek out Honda and Yugi, when he heard obnoxious giggling coming from his homeroom. Curiously peering through the door, he saw about a half dozen girls gathered around Kaiba, who had his head down on his desk, seemingly fast asleep. The girls were frantically scribbling their names and telephone numbers on small scraps of paper and placing them strategically around the sleeping brunet. Growling dangerously, Jou stepped into the room, glaring coldly at the girls. “You’re like a fucking pack of wolves!” he hissed. “What the hell are you doing?” 

One of the girls, Hasegawa Yumi, looked coldly at Jou. “We heard that you and Kaiba-sama were no longer an item. We heard that he kicked you out on your sorry ass when you couldn’t _please_ him.”

Jou glared back. “You heard a lot. Don’t believe everything you hear.” He leaned back against the door, noticing Seto stirring out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sure he’ll be most appreciative of your advances…ask him for yourself,” Jou continued, absently sipping his tea.

The girls squealed as they saw Seto sit up, and Jou chanced a quick peek at the brunet. He gasped in surprise – it looked like Seto had been up all night, as was apparent from his pale complexion and the heavy, dark circles under his eyes. On top of that, it appeared that the normally immaculate teen had not bothered with his usual morning ritual; he looked slightly dishevelled and unkempt, his hair looking more like Jou’s than his own. The brunet glanced around the room, looking momentarily disoriented, and then he spied the pieces of paper on his desk. He opened the first one and, when he saw what it was, he gave a contemptuous snort and crumpled them all in his fist, dropping the wad of paper ungraciously on the floor. Scowling at the group of girls huddled together, he folded his arms back on his desk and lay his head upon them once more. Jou felt his heart wrench at the sight before him, and he caught himself as he was taking a step towards the brunet. As he turned and left the room, he reminded himself that it had to be Seto that came to him, otherwise, the brunet would learn nothing.

* * *

Seto felt like complete crap. Not only had he not slept the night previous, thanks to the terrible nightmare he’d experienced, but he’d also had to deal with a group of pandering, vapid girls and being further ignored by Jou. To top it all off, he now sat in his limo, heading home, and staring at the white envelope on the seat beside him – the one with the single rose petal and chocolate kiss taped to the outside. It had been waiting for him in the car when he’d left the school at the end of the day. Apparently, Jou had stopped to talk to Aku, and had begged permission to leave the envelope for him. He picked up the crisp paper and stared at it. Knowing he needed to find out what was inside, he carefully thumbed open the flap and pulled out the now-expected two sheets of paper:

_Seto,_

_I hope your memories of September 16 were as fond as mine were. Like I said in my journal, it was one of the best days of my life. You were so thoughtful and tender, and I thought I had everything I could ever want at that point._

_Too bad it took only three weeks for that fantasy to end and for reality to come crashing back down around me. In all the time I had known you, and even now, never have I had anyone do something so hurtful to me like you did that day. Yet still, I stayed by you and with you. Why?.. Well, I suppose that’s for you to figure out, ne?_

_PS – You looked like shit today. Eat something and get some rest._

The brunet wracked his brain as he tried to figure out what he had said or done that had gotten Jou so upset. This ‘revelation’ was complete news to him; never had Jounouchi approached him about it or said anything to him about how he had felt. Even the date didn’t ring a bell to him. Perhaps this was one of those instances where Jou had simply misunderstood something and taken it personally.

_October 7_

_KAIBA SETO IS A FUCKING BASTARD!_

_Tonight was the night of some big, stupid corporate quarterly meeting, or stock holder’s dinner, or some bullshit like that. When Seto had first told me he didn’t want me to attend with him, he’d said it was because he was worried I’d be bored out of my tree. I didn’t realize it was because, like my dad, he thinks I’m an embarrassment!_

* * *

“Jou, you really don’t have to attend this function. It’s going to be a bunch of stuffy accountants and executives, simpering about how they didn’t earn as much as they would have liked last quarter, and then lauding the company for keeping share prices so high,” Seto said as he gracefully tied a perfect Windsor knot.

“Aww, come on, Seto!” Jou whined. “You know I just want to spend time with you, and as long as they’ve got food there, I can entertain myself, you know. I want to see what you do when you’re working, and be there for you; you know, let everyone know how proud I am of you. Besides, you said that the other rich guys would be bringing guests.”

Seto smiled softly as he planted a kiss on Jou’s cheek. “Trust me; you don’t want to be there…I know I’d rather be here with you. You’re welcome to stay here tonight if you’d like to, but don’t wait up. These things have a habit of running excessively long.” He placed a quick kiss on Jou’s lips, and with a hasty, “Bye, Koinu!” he was gone.

For about ten minutes, Jou prowled around the empty mansion. Mokuba had gone to one of his friend’s houses for the weekend and, after finding nothing entertaining on television, Jou found himself completely and utterly bored. With a heavy sigh, he wandered into the kitchen, peering longingly at the fruit tray he had prepared earlier for Seto and him to share. To say he was disappointed was an understatement, and he was slightly pissed off that Seto hadn’t had the decency to tell him about tonight’s soiree. If he hadn’t caught the brunet getting dressed, he would never have known that anything was up. Of course, that had simply been explained as a matter of forgetting – for Seto, too, had forgotten until his secretary had reminded him that afternoon.

Deciding to give the brunet the benefit of the doubt, Jou was suddenly struck by a wicked idea. He ran down the stairs and jumped on his bike, the old beater that Honda had sold to him when he’d upgraded, and sped across town to his apartment. As he quickly jumped into the shower, he grinned to himself. Granted, Seto had told him he didn’t have to attend, and that he wouldn’t enjoy himself, but he hadn’t expressly _told_ him that no, he wasn’t welcome. He stood in his room and searched frantically through his closet for the suit he knew was there. With a triumphant cry, he pulled the garment out and carefully laid it on his bed. Quickly, he slipped on the slate blue dress shirt and tied the dark tie. It wasn’t quite as perfect as Seto’s had been, but then again, he didn’t have as much practice with such things as the brunet. He pulled up the midnight blue trousers and donned the two-button, box-cut jacket, and looked at himself in the mirror. With a grin, he turned to look at himself from several angles, figuring that, for an inner city kid, he certainly cleaned up pretty good. He felt confident as he put on his Oxfords and ran back down the stairs to his bike.

When he arrived at the hotel, his initial assessment of his appearance was reaffirmed, and he beamed at the young women who flirted with him and the high-ranking executives who looked down at him with grudging admiration. He made his way slowly around the room, nibbling politely on proffered appetizers and making polite, inane conversation with the stockholders’ matronly spouses and goddess-like mistresses, all the while keeping an eye out for Seto. And, he was enjoying himself. He had never experienced an event such as this, and he found the diverse mix of people and backgrounds highly entertaining. Finally, he spied Seto.

The brunet was surrounded by a group of men, all of whom seemed to be hanging on his every word. He looked powerful and commanding in his black double breasted suit, white shirt and red tie and, despite his insistence to Jou that he hadn’t wanted to be there, he looked at ease and relaxed. In one hand, he held a champagne flute, more for appearance’s sake, Jou figured, than for the fact that he wanted the drink. Smiling proudly, Jou made his way over to where Seto stood, standing politely off to the side until he was noticed and invited into the conversation.

It wasn’t Seto, but another of the executives, who first noticed the blond. “Ah, Kaiba-sama, looks like you’re not the only child prodigy here after all!”

Seto’s face transformed into a small frown as he turned to stare at Jou, half prepared to give Otogi a piece of his mind. When he saw it was Jou, his mouth dropped open in surprise, and all he could do was stare dumbly at the blond. Regaining his composure, he smiled to the executives and excused himself for a moment. Moving to Jou’s side, he leaned down and hissed, “What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay home?”

Jou’s face fell as he looked at Seto. “You said I wouldn’t enjoy it, but you never said I couldn’t come.”

“Well, that’s what I meant!” Seto growled, giving a phoney smile to the group of executives that had turned their attention to the conversation. “We’ll talk about this later. Just, go home, Jounouchi.”

The blond nodded despondently. “Ok, Seto…I’m sorry I ruined your party. At least Nakimora-san thought I was delightful and charming. She told me so herself.” His eyes sad, he turned to go when one of the executives called out to him to wait.

“Young man, you obviously know Kaiba-sama. Tell me, how do you two know each other? Have you worked on a business venture together?”

Jou was unsure how to respond but, before he could say anything, Kaiba interjected, “He’s just someone I know from school.” The blond’s eyes went momentarily wide, and he dropped his gaze to the floor as his face flushed crimson.

“Oh, I see,” replied the executive. “Do you make it a policy to invite your school friends over when you have important policy to determine?” There was a jovial round of laughter from the other members of the group, and Kaiba seethed.

“No, Otaku-san. If I recall, he wasn’t on the guest list.”

Jou’s heart felt like it had just been ripped in two. First, Kaiba was mad at him for coming to support him, and then, he talked about him as though he was some petty annoyance. “I understand,” Jou said softly, trying to keep his voice steady and even. “I’m not so stupid that I can’t take a hint, _Kaiba-sama_.” With as much dignity as his broken heart would allow, he kept his head high as he walked stiffly from the room and to the lobby. Once he was outside and away from Seto’s business associates and the other guests, Jou let out a shuddering breath and felt hot tears of embarrassment and shame leak from the corners of his eyes.

* * *

_I don’t remember a time when I’ve felt this low, this completely worthless. The way Seto looked at me tonight made me feel worse than when my mom called me an unwanted bastard accident, and hurt more than anything my father could ever do with his fists._

_I just want to know what I did that has Seto so ashamed of me. I wasn’t rude or obnoxious, and I looked just like everyone else there. For once, I was treated like I was someone, and not looked down on as Jounouchi Katsuya, the no-good, third-rate, pathetic loser, son of a loser, like usual. I just wish I could make Seto feel half as proud of me as I am of him. I know in my heart we’re meant to be together and, if he still wants me after this, I swear I’ll work even harder to not look like some low-class idiot. I can see that he cares – maybe one day he’ll tell me he loves me, too._

As Seto lowered the paper, he suddenly felt very nauseous. The memories of that night came flooding back to him, once again imprinting themselves on his mind. It hadn’t been that he wasn’t proud of Jounouchi, or that he was embarrassed by him, but he’d been uncertain as to how his investors and senior board members would react to the news that not only was Kaiba Seto, one of Domino’s most eligible bachelors, no longer on the market, but that he was gay. Worried about repercussions on his corporate image and his stock prices, he had once again deliberately excluded Jou from being a part of his life. Worse, when the blond had shown up, he had dismissed him and treated him as if he had meant nothing. Seto bowed his head in disgrace and bit his lip to stifle an impending sob as he remembered what had happened later that night.

* * *

It was shortly after midnight when Seto pulled into his driveway. He saw no sign of Jou’s bike, and he rightfully assumed that the blond wasn’t there. Angrily, he climbed back into the limo and ordered the driver to Jou’s apartment. Not caring that most of the building’s inhabitants would be in bed and sleeping, Seto stormed up the stairs to Jou’s apartment, banging sharply on the door. When, after a few moments, it went unanswered, he banged again, sending a withering glare to the few nosey neighbours who dared to peek their sleepy heads out into the hallway. This time, the door was answered by a puffy-eyed Jou.

“Seto?” he croaked, his voice hoarse and dry.

Not bothering with a greeting or an explanation, he pushed his way inside Jou’s apartment and barked, “Get dressed. Now.” He could see from the expression on the blond’s face that he was terrified by the brunet’s angry glare and imposing posture. Jou simply nodded and dashed off to put on some clothes. Within two minutes, he was back at the door, looking slightly more awake, but still apprehensive. “Let’s go,” the brunet ordered, turning and stalking off, his long trench coat flaring out commandingly behind him. Obediently, Jou had trotted along after him, following him to the waiting limo. 

As soon as they were both inside, Seto hit the intercom and told his driver to get out of the car. They both felt the vehicle shift as the driver got out, and they could see him cross the street and light up a cigarette. Once they were alone, Seto turned angrily to Jou and snarled, “Do you have any idea what you almost did tonight?”

Jou, once again filled with embarrassment, merely shook his head, knowing that if he tried to speak, his voice would surely break.

“I’ll tell you what you almost did – you almost undid a year’s worth of planning, marketing, research and development! Our stock is at its highest level in fifteen years, and we have investors _fighting_ over us! If they, or the media, were to get wind of my personal life, _including_ my sexual preferences, they would have a fucking field day! I’d be the laughing stock of Domino!”

“But Seto,” Jou replied quietly. “I just wanted to be there with you. I didn’t do anything to even hint that we are…were…” He bit his lip, not wanting to finish the statement, his eyes searching for any hint of reassurance in the brunet’s impassive, icy stare.

“No you didn’t, and for that, be extremely grateful. But, it’s hard enough being taken seriously as the youngest CEO of a major corporation without having what those executive assholes see as ‘school friends’ hanging around. Next time I tell you to stay home, just _stay home_.” He scowled irately at the blond, and all Jou could do was shrink back further into the leather seat.

“I-I’m sorry, Seto,” Jou stammered. “I just thought that –“

“That’s not your strong suit, Jounouchi!” Seto snapped, interrupting him. “I’m finished. Go.” He watched with no remorse as Jou’s bottom lip trembled slightly, noting that, although tears were gathering in the corners of the blond’s eyes, he was too proud to let the brunet see them fall. Quickly, Jou opened the door and walked back to his building, not bothering to turn and wave good bye like he normally did.

By the next morning, Seto felt that maybe he had overreacted a bit, but he still believed that he had been perfectly justified in his actions. Knowing that he had undoubtedly upset the blond, he showed up early on his doorstep, chai lattes and bagels in hand. While they ate, he assured Jou that yes, he did still want to be with him and no, he didn’t hate him, and no, he hadn’t screwed up his evening. Of course, Jou was quick to forgive, readily accepting the blame for something that he had no reason to apologize for. Seto quickly glossed over his actions from the previous night and, with a smile, invited Jou out with him for the afternoon.

* * *

Seto sighed heavily as he realized that Jou had not simply ‘misunderstood’ him. The sad reality was that Seto had been completely and utterly cruel in his treatment of Jounouchi that night, and he was lucky that Jou loved him enough to give him another chance. And, despite how much he was hurting inside, Jou hadn’t said anything. Whether it was out of love or fear, or a combination of both, he had kept his feelings bottled up inside, continuing to support him and stand by him unconditionally. “Why didn’t he tell me?” Seto mused aloud to himself. “I could have done something to fix this – to make him feel better…”

Even as he spoke the words, Seto knew they were a complete lie. He had gotten too accustomed to his life as it was, and was reluctant to do anything to upset the status quo. He and Jou had been together for nearly a year, and he had yet to confirm or deny the occasional rumour that floated around the tabloids questioning whether or not he really was seeing someone and if it was true that his lover was indeed male. Of course, none of the people he worked with had the poor taste, or poor sense, to come out and directly ask him. Everything had been based on hearsay, speculation, and the occasional grainy photograph sent to the tabloids by an amateur photographer. Even the paparazzi knew better than to pry, and he saw no reason to come out and tell anyone. As Jou’s words came rushing back to him, he understood that, regardless of how he felt personally, until he made his feelings known publicly, there would always be that small seed of doubt in Jou’s mind: was Seto proud enough of him to admit to being with him?

Setting his face in a determined expression, he set Jou’s letter aside and pulled out his cell phone. When his secretary answered, he said plainly, “Convene the board of directors for Thursday night. I need to speak with them.” Not giving her a chance to reply, he hung up, once again fingering Jou’s letter before returning it carefully to its envelope. He was going to tell the board everything, and if they didn’t like it, then that was just too damned bad. Executives were not indispensable. He felt his stomach give a small lurch and he couldn’t ignore the small, niggling thought in the back of his mind: was the gesture going to be too little, too late?


	4. Chapter Four

Shortly before 8:00 the next morning, Seto was awakened by a timid knock on his bedroom door. “Seto?” he heard Mokuba’s muffled voice call to him from behind the heavy oak barrier, but he couldn’t be bothered to reply. After another minute, he heard the knob turn and, casting an apathetic glance towards the door, he saw his little brother standing there, dressed and ready for school, a look of concern on his face.

The small boy crossed the room to where his brother still lay in bed, his eyes large with worry. “Seto, we have to leave for school in ten minutes, and you’re not even up yet! Are you ok? Do you need me to call the doctor for you?”

The brunet gave a heavy sigh. “No, I’m fine. I’m up.” Reluctantly, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, forcing a half smirk onto his face in an effort to placate his younger sibling. Padding off to the bathroom, he brushed his teeth and half-heartedly ran a brush through his hair, smirking wryly at how it stuck up in a row of half-spikes. Not caring enough to mat them back down, he returned to his bedroom, noting that Mokuba had laid out his uniform for him on the bed. He pulled on his trousers and slipped on his jacket, reluctantly picking up his briefcase and heading downstairs to meet his brother.

When he arrived at school, he dumped himself into his chair, and pondered everything that he had discovered in the past two days. He knew two things for certain. First, he was absolutely miserable without the blond by his side. Jou made him feel whole and complete and, without his energy and enthusiasm, Seto found himself feeling lethargic, uninspired, and like a large portion of his soul had been ripped from his chest. Second, although it had never bothered him before, he found he hated the person he was, and wanted nothing more than to be given another chance. Jou brought out the best in him and tolerated the worst in him. Maybe he could help him work through his demons to undo his years of training and let him become a better person. Reluctantly, he brought his attention to the front of the room when the bell rang, and he was surprised to see that Jou wasn’t in class. Scowling, he glanced over at Yugi and Honda, neither of whom seemed to be too concerned by the blond’s absence. When the period ended, Seto approached the small teen.

“Hi Kaiba!” Yugi replied cheerfully, his face turning into a concerned frown as he took in the brunet’s appearance. “Are you feeling ok?”

“I’m fine,” Seto snapped irately. “Where’s Jou today?”

Honda glowered. “He heard you were going to be here and he skipped town,” the shorter brunet goaded, looking for an opportunity to give Seto a piece of his mind for treating Jou as he had.

Seto didn’t bother to respond to Honda’s taunt, instead settling for giving him the middle finger in a gesture very reminiscent of Jounouchi.

“Ooh, that hurts, Kaiba,” Honda sneered. “What’s wrong? No witty comeback today?”

Seto slowly turned his steely gaze to the other brunet. “Why waste wit on a half-wit?” He ignored the angry flush creeping up Honda’s cheeks and turned his attention back to Yugi. “Where’s Jou?” he sighed, obviously tired and irritable.

“Kaiba, he’s in Kyoto today; don’t you remember him telling you? After his dad was arrested in April, Jou’s lawyers have been working on a civil case for his emancipation. The trial is today.”

Seto swore under his breath – he’d completely forgotten about it. He’d told Jou they’d go together, and then spend the rest of the day in Kyoto. “When’s he back, Yugi?”

“Sometime tonight or early tomorrow. Depends which train he takes, I guess. He’s supposed to call me later and let me know. If you want, I can call you, too?”

“No…It’s fine.” He turned to go back to his desk when Yugi called out to him. Turning back to the small teen, he quirked an eyebrow in response.

“Jou asked me to give you this today,” Yugi said, rummaging in his bag and pulling out a characteristic Jou-envelope and handing it to the brunet. “He said to make sure I didn’t forget.”

Seto took the proffered envelope and returned to his desk, tossing it into his briefcase for later. The bell rang signalling the start of second period, and Seto stared blankly at the sensei and tried to listen to what she was saying. About ten minutes into the lecture, he suddenly packed up all his books and walked to the door.

“Kaiba-san!” the sensei admonished. “I am in the middle of a lecture! Please take your seat!”

“Sorry Sensei,” Seto drawled airily. “But this is beginning to bore me, and I have more pressing matters to attend to.” Ignoring the horrified look on his teacher’s face and the hushed sniggers of his classmates, he walked out into the hall, calling for his car. While he waited, he called his secretary to find out what time the hearing was scheduled for, hoping against all odds that it was set for the afternoon. When she told him it was for 1:30, he hung up and called the airport to arrange for his Lear jet to be fuelled, and for a car to be waiting upon his arrival in Kyoto. He was going to be cutting it close, but he would be there for Jou.

As soon as the plane was in the air, Seto felt a new surge of energy. As he cleaned himself up in the cabin lavatory and changed into a well tailored, midnight blue suit, he looked at his reflection and saw that, despite the sallow complexion and darkened eyes, he did still look like a force to be reckoned with. Smiling softly, he returned to his seat and pulled out Jou’s letter.

_Seto_

_I hope that my last letter made you realize how cruel you can be sometimes. I really don’t think you understand just how much your words and actions can hurt, but they do. A lot. And yes, you do make the effort after the fact to apologize, but if you were truly sorry, you would stop doing it. You have to know by now how much I love you. Anyone else, I would have probably punched in the face and told to fuck off eons ago. And while I can’t say I’ve never fought back the urge to pop you a good one right in the mouth, I just can’t bring myself to do it. Get over yourself – it’s not because I’m afraid of being sued or of messing up that beautiful face. After all, bruises will heal, and it’s hard to get something from nothing, ne? It’s because if I hit you and walk away, it means I don’t care. And despite everything, I’ve never stopped caring._

_It’s the strangest thing. You have a hold on me so strong; it’s like some kind of magic force that keeps you in my thoughts all day and in my dreams all night. Without you, I feel as though a part of me is missing. I wonder, though, if I have managed to put that same kind of hold on you. When I think about last Christmas, I want to say yes. Have I, Seto?_

The brunet smiled as he shuffled to the second paper. To say that Jou had a hold on him was the understatement of the century. It had been barely more than two days, and already, he was falling apart without Jou. The blunt honesty Jou expressed in his letters was proving to be the proverbial ass kicking he had so richly deserved. And, even though he hated the way the blond’s journal entries made him feel, he was beginning to appreciate this newfound insight and understanding. Jou truly was special. Settling back with a bottle of water, he continued to read:

_December 25_

_Merry Christmas!_

_This has to have been the best Christmas ever for me! It even tops the one when I was 6 and got that new bike I’d been mooning over. I wish that I could go back and play this day over and over in my head, or that it would never end. Heh, maybe I’ll talk to Yug’ and see if there’s anything that Shadow Magic can do for me!_

_Dad, like usual, spent the day with his friends Jim, Johnny and Jack. I think that the Captain might have made an appearance, but I won’t know for sure until I clean up later. I don’t know if he even knew it was Christmas, or if he thought it was just another day; either way, I didn’t get anything from him. But I suppose not being on the receiving end of his shouting was gift enough for me._

_I spent the day with Mokuba and Seto. Seto came to get me around 8:00 this morning, saying that he wanted to see me for as long as the day would allow. Mokuba was with him, and he seemed happy to see me, too. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I felt like I had a family and like I belonged._

* * *

“Here, Jou! Open this one next!” Mokuba squealed excitedly as he thrust a package into the blond’s hands. 

Jou gave a half-embarrassed grin as he glanced down at the already substantial pile of items in front of him. “Thanks, Kid. You shouldn’t have. I mean, you and your brother have already given me a lot here…”

“But you’re like a part of our family, Jou!” Mokuba protested, a small, petulant pout crossing his lips. “Besides, it’s Christmas – the one day of the year that you deserve to be spoiled. Right, Seto?”

The brunet nodded and smiled softly, urging Jou with his eyes to open the package. 

Jou gasped in surprised delight when he saw it was a portable hand held gaming system. “Whoa!” he breathed. “Awesome! Thanks, Mokuba!”

The raven haired boy beamed at his ‘almost brother’ and said with a grin, “I’ve got the same system. You can link them together with this cable, and then play head to head. We’ll have to do some hard core racing later today, ne?”

“Sure Kid! You’d better practice up though, because I’m going to beat you so bad this time!”

Practically bursting with excitement, Mokuba nodded. “I’ll go get my console, and we can play!”

“Later, Mokuba,” Seto interrupted, catching the bounding boy before he could tear out of the room. Not giving his younger sibling the chance to protest, he continued, “I need to speak to Jounouchi for a while, and you need to clean up all of this paper and mess before you do anything.”

“But Seto!” Mokuba whined. “You said that I could play with my stuff!” He caught the warning glare from his older brother and, not wanting to risk further retribution, he scowled and began cramming wrapping paper into a large garbage bag.

“I’ll give you a hand, Kiddo,” Jou said softly as he dropped to his knees on the carpet, gathering up a large handful of torn paper and adding it to the bag, much to Mokuba’s adulation. 

Seto smiled down at Jou and, taking him by the hand, pulled him to his feet as he led him from the living room to the parlour. “Carry on, Mokuba,” he called over his shoulder, ignoring the sour expression the raven-haired boy shot his way.

As Jou sat down on the loveseat beside the brunet, he smiled playfully. “Aw, come on, Seto. That would have taken me five minutes, and you know it.”

“I know,” Seto replied, looking tenderly into the blond’s amber eyes. “I just wanted to keep him occupied for a few moments.”

“Why?” Jou asked, cocking his head to the side in curiosity, which caused the brunet to chuckle softly.

“My Koinu,” Seto breathed absently, brushing a lock of hair from Jou’s eyes. “I just didn’t want prying, adolescent eyes around when I gave you this.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small ring box.

Jou’s eyes went wide, and suddenly he found himself unable to speak. “Seto,” he began, opening the box to reveal a thin, plain titanium band with an inlaid ruby and sapphire chip. “Jesus Seto, it’s exquisite…but I’m not even 18 yet, and we’ve only been seeing each other for a little over three months. I don’t think I’m ready for this.”

The brunet smiled softly at Jou as he took the box from Jou’s hands and pulled the ring from the velvet lining. “Koinu, this is a promise ring, nothing more. I just want you to be constantly reminded of my commitment to you, and to know that I will always be here for you. Later on, when we’re _both_ ready, we’ll take that next step. But for now, I just want you to know that I…” He trailed off, looking uncertainly at the blond. Jou’s amber eyes were shining with joy, almost as though he knew what the brunet was trying to say. For a brief moment, Seto considered leaving it at that, not further complicating things with words. Jou knew how he felt; he knew how he felt – it should have been sufficient. But it wasn’t. He took Jou’s hand in his and brought it to his lips to brush a kiss across the back, and then he slipped the ring over the blond’s finger, admiring how the cool metal shone against his golden skin. “I love you, Katsuya,” he said softly, his voice thick with emotion, his own eyes shining with happiness.

Jou gave the brunet a tremulous smile as he wrapped his arms around Seto’s neck, kissing him tenderly on the lips. “Thank you, Seto,” he said as he pulled away. “I love you, too.”

* * *

_The ring from Seto was absolutely beautiful – I’ll have to keep it hidden from my dad lest he decide to take it and pawn it; I’m sure it wasn’t cheap – but overall, I would have been content just hearing Seto’s words. That was the first time he had ever said ‘I love you’ to me. Even now, as I hear the words spoken in his voice, I can feel a shiver travel down my spine. He now has complete and sole ownership of my heart._

_Tonight was also the first time he and I had sex together. I don’t know if he’s ever done it before, and I was too embarrassed to ask him, but the way he moves is unnatural – almost like a god. And he obviously knew what he was doing – unlike yours truly who was awkward at best. It was absolutely wonderful, even if my ass feels like it has a telephone pole jammed up it right now. It was worth it, and I’d do it again with him in a heartbeat, especially if it meant I could look into his eyes again. Oh my God, when he isn’t all walled up behind some impenetrable barrier and actually lets himself express his emotions, his eyes turn the darkest, deepest shade of blue I’ve ever seen. I’m getting hard right now just thinking about it._

_But, Seto is a very guarded person. He let me in once – I’m hoping he’ll let me in again. Still, I know he loves me…_

Seto sighed as he folded up the papers and returned them to their envelope. His eyes prickled as he once again toyed with the platinum band around his finger, knowing that he _hadn’t_ always been there for Jou. Absently twisting the ring first clockwise then counter clockwise with his thumb, one line of Jou’s journal played over and over in his mind like some obsessive mantra: ‘He now has complete and sole ownership of my heart’. With a sigh, he came to the realization that such was a gift that he should have treasured and guarded. Instead, he had been overly cavalier with Jou’s love and affection, using the blond as an outlet when _he_ was lonely, not bothering to give back what had been so selflessly given. 

Then again, taking had always been easy for him. ‘Maybe a little _too_ easy,’ he thought grimly as he fastened his lap belt and prepared for landing. Giving was a completely different animal, and one that he was not intimately familiar with. Not that he was miserly – he contributed to numerous charities and benefits throughout the year from his own personal funds, and not for the corporate write-offs. No, it was with his emotions that he was stingy. For the entire ride to the courthouse, he sat brooding in the backseat of the rental car. Jou didn’t care about his money or his fame or his power. All he wanted was Seto’s heart – he wanted the brunet to love him unconditionally as he loved him. 

And then suddenly, everything seemed to click. Jou was giving him a choice – money, fame, and power, or love. He could continue to go on with things as they were, or he could step out from behind his self-made barrier, let Jou in completely, and maybe wind up with something even greater. Even the ‘game’ Jou was playing with him was telling him all he needed to know, however subtly. The point wasn’t to play ‘he loves me, he loves me not’; rather, it was ‘he loves me, he loves me’ – the rose petals and chocolate kisses were a testament to that. Seto wondered if, maybe, the real reason behind all of this was to show him that being in love is the ultimate risk – it can hurt as much as it can heal. Not waiting for the driver to come around and open his door, he climbed from the car and sought out the floor where the family courts were sitting. Climbing the marble staircase, he realized that, in the darkest of times, when things seem at their worst, one must never stop loving, and, when everything seems perfect, one must _never stop trying_. 

He was stopped by the bailiff standing guard outside the courtroom. After being checked for weapons and instructed to turn off any cell phones or pagers, he was permitted to enter. The hearing was just about to begin. Seto could see Jou’s father sitting on the defendant’s side of the room, immaculately dressed in a dated dark brown suit and doing his best to look remorseful. Behind him, the gallery was full of his old cronies – all of them having found the good side of a bar of soap and a razor. Seto’s eyes shifted to Jou’s side and his heart sank as he saw that, save for a police officer, his side was empty. Feeling somewhat unsettled, he found a seat near the front. The judge arrived and called the session to order.

The judge was a short, squat man who looked remarkably like a pig, Seto thought. As he shifted his beady eyes first from Jou to the sombre looking father, he gave a great, contemptuous snort. “Normally, I am averse to hearing cases for the emancipation of a minor. Nine times out of ten, the child is simply looking for a way to get back at his or her parents and there is no reasonable reason to grant the request. However, in this particular case, I am making an exception because of the age of the minor and the completeness of the brief submitted by the plaintiff’s attorney. According to the law, to be granted emancipation, the minor must demonstrate a need, and show that he or she has a suitable place to live and a means of supporting him or herself. Social assistance does not count.” The judge paused and looked fixedly at Jou, who merely sat in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him, his head bowed slightly. 

The elder Jounouchi slowly stood in his chair, and cleared his throat nervously. “I beg your pardon, Your Honour, Sir, but I’d like to make a statement first, if I may, and request that these proceedings not continue.” He saw the judge nod, his prominent jowls jiggling slightly. Twisting his hands nervously before him, Jou’s father continued. “Well, Sir, being a parent has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Being in the joint…er, prison for the past five months has been a real eye-opener. I realize that I had a problem, and I’ve been getting help for it, and now I’m doing a lot better. I don’t want to lose my only son, Sir. He means the world to me. I know I’ve still got a month to go, but I’d really like him back home with me when I get out.” He sat back down, a look of pure remorse on his face, but there was a hint of malice twinkling in his eyes. “Don’t leave me, Son,” he pled with Jou from across the courtroom. “Come home with me. Things will be different; I swear it.”

Seto gave a contemptuous snort and fought back the urge to be violently ill. He knew that everything Jou’s father was saying was complete bullshit. Even on the few occasions that he had been stone-cold sober, he’d never passed up an opportunity to tell Jou how much his life had taken a turn for the worse the second he was born. To the elder Jounouchi, Jou was a source of drinking money, an outlet for his rage, and, most worrisome of all, a punching bag for the man’s own failings and shortcomings.

“Well said, Jounouchi-san,” the judge replied, giving him a small smile. “The fact that you have taken so well to your rehabilitation is a credit to you. I do believe that you are sincere in your wishes to have your son come home; however, this hearing is to determine whether or not your son meets the criteria for emancipation. If he does, then I am prepared to grant his request. If he doesn’t, then I do believe that, when you are released, he should be remanded back into your custody.” A small flash of anger rippled across Jounouchi-san’s face, but he quickly schooled his features once again into a remorseful expression as he nodded.

The judge turned his attention to Jou. “Katsuya, you do understand that if you fail to meet all three criteria for emancipation, you will either be returned to your father’s care or will be placed in foster care until you reach the age of majority, correct?”

The blond winced visibly as the judge addressed him by his most hated name. “Yes,” Jou replied softly, a trace of fear in his voice as he spoke.

“Very good. Now then, according to the information in this brief, a…Mutou Sugoroku has offered you a place to stay. How do you know this person?”

“He’s my best friend’s grandfather, and he owns a store in Domino. They’re the family I’ve been staying with while dad’s been locked up.” 

“I see,” the judge replied, staring at him with his beady, piggy eyes. “And do you have proof stating that Mutou-san is willing to take you in?”

This time it was Jou’s attorney that spoke. “Yes, Your Honour.” He stood up and crossed the gallery floor to the bench, presenting a document to the judge. “We have a sworn affidavit stating that Mutou-san will provide shelter for Jounouchi.”

The judge scanned the document, and then handed it back to Jou’s lawyer. “Very well. Now, Katsuya, all you have to present is proof of employment, and I will grant your request.”

Jou made a face as he sat in his chair, his head still bowed. He could feel the sting of disappointment spreading through his body. He had been _so close_ to finally escaping the clutches of his father but, two weeks ago, one of his father’s poker buddies had come into the restaurant where he’d worked as a dishwasher and busboy, and had caused such problems for Jou that the manager had had little choice but to let him go. He had been hoping to find a new job by now, but everything he pursued came up as a dead end. It was almost as if his father’s friends knew what he was doing, and went out of their way to deliberately screw him over.

“Jounouchi-kun!” the judge called, pulling Jou from his musing. “Do you or do you not work for anyone right now?”

Jou swallowed hard and decided to take his chances. “Yes,” he replied softly. “I do work.”

“That’s bullshit!” Jounouchi-san yelled, his face turned down into a scowl. “I know you don’t have a job, Katsuya!”

The judge banged his gavel on the bench and glared sternly at the glowering man. “Jounouchi-san! I will not tolerate that type of language in my courtroom, nor will I tolerate an outburst such as that. Consider yourself warned. Next time, I will find you in contempt of court!” He turned his attention back to Jou. “Well, that’s good. Now, do you have some proof of this? Pay stubs, cancelled paycheques, a sworn affidavit from your employer?” When Jou said nothing, the judge quirked an eyebrow. “Do you have _anything_ to show me?”

Jou heaved a tremulous sigh. “I –“ 

Seto had finally endured more than he could stand of this farce of a hearing. “He works for me,” the brunet said coolly as he stood up. A surprised gasp rippled through the courtroom as both Jounouchi’s heads whipped around to stare at him – one with pure malevolence, the other with genuine surprise.

The judge narrowed his eyes slightly. “And just who might you be?”

The brunet gave him an arrogant smirk. “I’m the president and CEO of KaibaCorp. My name is Kaiba Seto.” 

This time, it was an animated whisper that spread across the room.

The judge’s eyes widened and he stammered, “K-Kaiba-san, you said? You know that a signed affidavit would have sufficed.” 

Seto was quickly escorted to the witness box by the bailiff and, as he passed by Jou’s table, he couldn’t resist giving the blond a reassuring wink. He saw Jou’s body sag with relief and the elder Jounouchi’s stiffen in anger. Seto took his seat as he was sworn in and he gave the judge a pert smile. “I realize that, Your Honour; however, I wanted to be here in person.”

The judge nodded, and then resumed his questioning. “How long has Jounouchi been in your employ?” 

“I think it’s been nearly a year. My memory tells me it was September 16th when he was first hired.” Seto knew that wasn’t exactly true, and that he was under oath, but he had never been averse to lying - especially when it suited his purpose. “In that time, he has done various personal assignments for me. He is probably the most valuable, yet most underappreciated, person on my staff. I will have to rectify that immediately.” He saw Jou look at him questioningly, but he merely smiled at the blond, giving him a look that told him everything would be explained later.

“Thank you. You may step down now, Kaiba-san. Well,” the judge said solemnly. “I’m convinced. We have the photographic evidence initially submitted in the brief, the affidavit from Mutou-san, and of course, the sworn testimony of Kaiba-san. I see no reason not to –“

“That’s fucking _bullshit_!” the elder Jounouchi roared, getting to his feet and lunging towards the opposite side of the room, quickly being grabbed and held back by his friends. “The little bastard doesn’t work for Kaiba! You can’t take away what is mine. He’s _mine_ to do with what I want! The little fucker is not going to get away from me that easily!”

“Order!” the judge shouted, banging his gavel on the bench and trying to restore control over his courtroom. The bailiff had quickly called for backup, and between the two of them, they managed to get Jounouchi-san into handcuffs and restrain him. As soon as things had calmed down, he glared pointedly at the elder Jounouchi and seethed, “You, sir, are in contempt. You will pay 100 000 yen as a fine to the court, or have another week added on to your sentence. As for the matter of Jounouchi Katsuya, I hereby grant him emancipation. After that outburst, Jounouchi-san, you’re lucky he hasn’t sued you for damages as well! We’ll take a ten minute recess before the next case.” 

As the other spectators slowly filed from the courtroom and Jou’s father was led away in handcuffs, Seto sat quietly on the bench on Jou’s side of the gallery while the blond and his attorney gave each other a congratulatory hug. He heard Jou’s lawyer say he’d be in contact later in the week, and after the two shook hands, the attorney left. Eventually, things had quieted down enough to where Seto and Jou could talk.

“Seto,” Jou said softly, his eyes shining happily. “You came.”


	5. Chapter Five

“Hello, Jou,” Seto said quietly. “I suppose congratulations are in order. ”It was the first civil words spoken between them in more than two days. 

The blond flushed pink with happiness. “Yeah, but if you hadn’t shown up, I would have lost for sure. Thanks for coming; I was hoping you wouldn’t forget.”

Seto sighed heavily and dropped his gaze to the smooth wood of the bench. “That’s just it, Jou. I did forget. When you weren’t in class this morning, I asked Yugi where you were and he told me.”

“Oh,” Jou replied simply, his smile slipping just a bit. “Well, thanks anyway.” He was quiet for a moment as he regarded the brunet. “Jesus, you look like hell,” he said finally. 

Seto nodded. “Yes, I haven’t been sleeping well for the past couple of days. I’ve lost something very important to me, and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get it back. The problem is, I didn’t really appreciate it until I no longer had it, and now I’m miserable without it.” He looked up at Jou, his eyes searching the soulful amber gaze, trying to glean any clue, any information at all. Coming up empty, he sighed again. “Damn it, Jou…why didn’t you say anything to me sooner? I could have done something!”

Jou smiled softly and leaned against the rail, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Because Seto, I know you, and you wouldn’t have. You say things to placate me, things you have no intention of following through on, just to get me to leave you alone.”

The brunet looked both surprised and slighted by this revelation. He opened his mouth to protest, but Jou held up a hand to silence him.

“You do, Seto. I don’t think you even realize that you do it. You have so much going on inside that head of yours that you’ll simply say anything, and then not remember saying it later. That was the whole point of my letters. If I’d have come to you, telling you how I felt, you’d have tuned me out within 30 seconds.”

“Jou, I’m so sorry,” Seto murmured, a slight tremor to his voice. “I had never really looked at myself as such a cold-hearted bastard until I experienced my actions through your words. Everything has always been one sided with us, hasn’t it? Well, save for the few token gestures I make from time to time, ne?”

Jou’s smile widened slightly. “Well, not always one-sided. Like I told you, you can be damned sensitive and caring when you want to be.” He stood up and placed a hand lightly on the brunet’s shoulder, his heart melting as Seto brought his own hand up to clasp Jou’s before resting his head against the blond’s arm. Jou could tell from the blissful expression that washed across his love’s face that Seto did, finally, understand the nature of their relationship.

“Do you forgive me, Jou? Forgive me for being so thoughtless?”

Jou gave the brunet’s shoulder a small squeeze and with his free hand, dragged his fingers through the silky, auburn locks. “I forgave you a long time ago, Seto. That’s what ‘unconditional love’ is about.” He carefully pulled his hand free, then stuck his hands in his pockets and started to slowly walk towards the door at the back of the courtroom.

“Jou, wait!” Seto called after him as he grabbed his briefcase and hurried up the aisle to catch him. “You can come home with me tonight, you know.”

Again, Jou gave the brunet a small, thoughtful smile. “I know, but I’m not ready to come home just yet. I have a few things to take care of here, and then I’m going to go home on the train, like I’d planned.”

“I see,” he said flatly. “So you are still punishing me, then.”

Jou’s expression was pained as he looked into the hurt eyes of the brunet. “God Seto, no; it _never_ was about punishment or revenge, or whatever other ulterior motive you’ve concocted in your mind. When I’m ready, I will be there for you, just like I hope you will be there for me.” Slowly, a small smile crept across his lips. “Just remember, Seto; I don’t love you for what you have, but for what you have to offer. As long as something’s there, you’ll always have me.” He stopped at the door, his hand resting on the brass push bar as he turned back to the brunet. “Please Seto, take care of yourself,” he said kindly, and then stepped out into the main foyer.

* * *

When Seto arrived back at his home shortly after 6:00 that evening, he found he had to practically drag himself up the steps and into the house. The surge of energy he’d felt that morning as he’d flown off to help Jou was gone again, especially after his conversation with the blond in the courtroom. 

Once inside, was immediately attacked by an exuberant Mokuba, who dragged him to the dining room to tell him about his day. While the raven-haired boy chatted animatedly about the things he’d learned in school, Seto found himself only half listening as he pushed his food around on his plate with his fork.

Mokuba didn’t seem to notice, his gestures and facial expressions becoming more grandiose as he regaled his older brother with his adventures. Finally, having reached the end of his tale and settling down to eat, he looked over at the brunet and frowned slightly. “Is something wrong, Seto?”

“No, Mokuba,” Seto lied, inwardly cringing at how easy the deception came to him – almost like a second nature.

The young boy knew his brother well enough to not push the issue, so he decided to try a different topic. “It’s your and Jou’s anniversary on Saturday, isn’t it?” Mokuba paused to shovel another forkful of food into his mouth, and then when he had swallowed, he set down the utensil and asked, “By the way, where is he? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Without a word, Seto set his napkin by his place and stood up. “I have a presentation to prepare for tomorrow night. I’ll be in my study.” Slowly, he trudged off to his office and, after a few moments, a soft click echoed through the estate. Seto had locked himself in, and it was obvious that he did not want company.

For a moment, Mokuba sat in his place, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. He hated when his brother was in a bad mood, but this was worse than when Seto was angry and yelled and broke things in a fit of rage. Never had he seen his brother so quiet and subdued – and it terrified him. Unsure of what to do, he went into the living room and dialled the one person who could comfort him when he was stuck in the middle of one of his brother’s mood swings. 

As he listened to the telephone ringing through the handset, he bit his lip to stave off the impending wave of tears, but as soon as it was picked up and he heard the kind voice respond in greeting, he lost his resolve. As the hot droplets splashed down his cheeks and dripped onto his shirt, he said in a tremulous voice, “Yugi, it’s Mokuba. Something’s wrong with Seto, and I’m scared.”

* * *

Seto sat slouched in the corner of the leather sofa he had in his office. In his hands he held a small picture of Jounouchi that he had taken during the Battle City tournament. Of course, all the competitors had been given photo ID cards to get them into certain areas and afford them discounts at local merchants, but Seto had kept a second copy for himself. Now as he sat there, he traced one slender index finger around the lines of Jou’s face, staring deeply into the sparkling amber eyes that glinted back up at him.

‘I wonder what the ratio of bad days to good is in that journal of yours,’ Seto asked as he now used his index finger to ‘stroke’ the blond hair in the picture. ‘I’d bet it’s mostly bad, considering how I’ve treated you…’ His eyes stung and, through blurry tears, he looked back at the picture, only to have his vision clear as the offending droplets found their way from his eyes and down his cheek. Carefully, he set the photograph back in the small pewter box on the end table, and he sat at his desk behind his computer. While he waited for it to boot up, he could hear voices coming from the living room. ‘God, Mokuba’s got the television turned up loud,’ he mused, not giving it any more thought until he recognized Honda’s familiar tenor.

“Mokuba, I know he’s your brother, but he’s a selfish prick. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give for five minutes alone with him and a crow bar – I’d beat some sense into that arrogant ass!”

“Honda!” Anzu snapped. “Don’t add fuel to the fire! Maybe if one of us were to talk to him?” 

Seto listened for a few more minutes, and deduced that only Anzu, Honda and Yugi were there; Jou was not. Given the circumstances, Seto felt no compulsion to go out and play host to his brother’s guests. Instinctively, he reached for his wireless headphones and placed the mixed disc Jou had made for him into the CD drive so that he wouldn’t have to listen to their muffled prattle. As the first track started to play, he turned his attention to his computer. He had planned on working on his presentation for the board for tomorrow evening, but he found himself unable to concentrate, and spent the next four hours playing Internet chess. At one point, he had six separate sessions open, and he won every game he played, even those against the so-called ‘professionals’. Turning back to his work, he removed his headphones and around 10:30, Mokuba’s company left, followed a few minutes later by a soft knock on the door and a murmured, “I’m going to bed, Seto.” As soon as he was gone, the brunet could feel the quiet emptiness descend upon him and, with a shudder, he forced his attention to his still untouched presentation and he began to type. 

Sometime around 5:30, he must have dozed off at his keyboard, for when he woke up, he found he’d typed 56 pages of the letter ‘a’. ‘Damn it!’ he thought as he began deleting the lines and resuming his work. He was just putting the finishing touches on his notes when there was another small knock at his door.

“Seto, are you going to school today?”

The brunet made a face. School was the absolute _last_ place he wanted to be today, especially after the incident at the courthouse and the subsequent visit of Yugi and company to his home. He opened the door and looked down at his brother. The raven-haired boy looked tired, but none the worse for wear. Apparently, Mokuba did not share the same view of his brother.

“Seto, were you up all night?”

The brunet smiled and rubbed his eyes. “Not all of it. I really needed to get that presentation finished before tonight. I’ll probably be at KaibaCorp when you get home from school, but don’t worry about me; I’ll be fine, ok?”

The small boy nodded slowly, his slate grey eyes clouding with concern. “Ok Seto…Good luck with your presentation.” Slowly, Mokuba turned away from the door, heading for the waiting limo that would take him to school.

Once Seto heard the front door close, he printed off a copy of his speech, shut down his computer, and collapsed, exhausted, into a dreamless sleep on the sofa.

He was awakened three hours later by the annoying, pulsing ring of his cell phone. Fumbling blindly on the end table, he found the overly chipper device and groggily brought it to his ear as tried to make his voice as neutral and even as possible. “Kaiba…”

“I’m very sorry to bother you, Kaiba-sama,” his secretary began, “But the Board of Directors is wondering if it would be convenient for you to meet with them earlier than 8:00 this evening.”

Seto fought back a groan as he heard the soft, professional voice. “What time do they want?” he asked flatly. Glancing at his watch, he sat up sleepily and rubbed his eyes, finding that the nap had made him feel infinitely worse.

“At 6:00,” she replied.

Seto snorted. “Jesus Christ, don’t they know that’s the dinner hour for most people?” Before his secretary could respond, he replied tartly, “Yes, of course they do – that’s why they picked 6:00.” The brunet sighed, and then said, “Fine, change it to 6:00, and make sure you order something for dinner – wouldn’t want them to think I was anything but hospitable. Actually, move the meeting to the conference room at ‘La Bohème’; they are quite good, and the members should be comfortable there. I’ll be in by 3:00 at the latest.” 

He ended the call, and then slowly stood up, stretching languorously in front of the window. As he glanced outside, he could see the small Japanese maple that Jou had lovingly planted in the middle of the lawn that past spring. He smirked to himself as he remembered the gardener coming up to him, right livid with the blond for what he had done to his award winning grass. Jou had been most apologetic to the gardener, and had even taken on some jobs assigned to him to atone for his mistake. In time, Eicho had forgiven Jou and had even nicknamed the plant ‘Jou’s tree’, and had taken special care to make sure that the little sapling survived. As it was, the maple was thriving, once again making Eicho the envy of the other gardeners in the area.

It was strange – everything Seto looked at had some small anecdote attached to it that reminded him of the blond. Hoping that everything would go smoothly tonight, he returned to his room to shower and got cleaned up for his meeting.

* * *

Shortly before 6:00, Seto stood at the small podium in the secluded meeting room, preparing his presentation for his 12-member Board of Directors. He’d given more presentations than he dared remember, but this one was making his heart hammer in his chest. Within fifteen minutes, everyone had arrived. Thanking them all for coming on such short notice, Seto had their dinner entrées served, and sat quietly while the board members ate, mentally preparing himself. Once everyone had eaten and coffee and dessert had been served, Seto returned to the podium and cleared his throat nervously.

“Good evening. As you all know, the quarterly Shareholder’s Dinner will be coming up next month but, before that, I wanted to meet with you to discuss some of the things that will undoubtedly be the focus of the meeting. Being the senior members of the board, and the basic governing body for most policy, I felt that it was my duty to keep you all informed.” He glanced around and saw that he had 12 pairs of eyes riveted to him. “You are aware that once again, we have surpassed expectations with our quarterly earnings, and continue to grow in the industry despite recent shortfalls and setbacks experienced by some of our competitors. But our accomplishments, while laudable, are not what I wanted to discuss with you.” He paused, glancing down at his notes as he tried to form the words, feeling the curious gazes of his peers upon him. Taking a deep breath, he once more looked out at his audience and said, “I’m sure that some of you may have heard rumours about my personal life pass through the tabloids from time to time. I wanted to inform you that yes, the rumours are true. I have been seeing someone for nearly a year now, and he is male. For nearly a year, I have been keeping him in the background like some dirty little secret, doing what I believed, at the time, would be in the best interests of the company. At this point in my life, I’m doing what I believe is best for me – and if that means facing the consequences of a critical public for bringing Jou into the spotlight with me, then I’m prepared to face them.” 

The room fell into an eerie silence as every member of the board stared at Seto. Finally, after a few moments, an elderly lady piped up, “Oh! I think I’ve met him before!”

Seto frowned in thought and shook his head. “No, I don’t think so, Nakimora-san. I’ve not brought Jou to any of the KaibaCorp functions.”

“No, no, I remember now! He was the delightful young blond I met at the Shareholder’s Dinner that was held at the Regency! Such a sweet boy – asked me where my father was, because young girls shouldn’t be out on their own.” She chuckled softly at the memory.

Seto nodded slowly, feeling the lance of pain pierce his heart once more as he was again reminded of that evening. “Yes, Nakimora-san; that was Jou,” he replied softly.

“Forgive me, Kaiba-sama,” another board member interjected. “Not that we don’t all find it admirable that you’ve found someone to share yourself with, but what, exactly, does this have to do with us?”

“Well, Tomo-san, it is very likely that we will lose some of our investors and the stock prices will take a dive when word of this reaches the public – which, incidentally, should be some time this evening. Given the fact that our stock is trading remarkably fast and you, as the Board, are currently enjoying the results of that growth, I felt that you should know what to expect come morning.”

“Kaiba-sama,” a round, middle-aged man drawled in a bored voice, “Share prices move up and down all the time like the changing of a tide. In this case, we might take a bigger hit than anticipated, but in the long run, we have confidence in you that you’ll turn things back around. And I don’t know about the rest of the board but, if we have investors pull out for something like that in this day and age, do you really want someone so narrow minded investing in your company in the first place?”

There were general nods and murmurs of agreement from the other members, and then Nakimora-san spoke up. “Kaiba-sama, honestly, it is none of our business or concern what you do in your private life and, given your excellent leadership over the past years, we have nothing to complain about. Do what your heart tells you to; the business will continue to thrive regardless of the choices you make.”

Now it was Seto’s turn to stand there and stare dumbfounded at the board members. “I don’t understand…” he said finally. “It was my understanding that the Board was interested in maximizing profits and returns. Why would you willingly accept something that is going to negatively affect that?”

Nakimora-san smiled kindly. “Kaiba-sama, all of us are old, and are or have been married at some point in our lives. Money is easily enough obtained. To find something that soothes your heart is much more difficult, and you have to take that when it comes along. And like Watsuki-san said, we don’t need those types of investors. After all, our largest consumers are children – what kind of message does that send?”

Seto was pleasantly surprised by the reaction that he’d received from the board. He didn’t know what he had expected, but he certainly hadn’t expected _that_. Feeling his nervousness wash from his body, he nodded curtly and continued, “Very well then. I thank the board for their support. Are there any other questions before we adjourn?”

“I have one,” Watsuki-san said. “You said that the news would reach the public tonight. What is your plan?”

Seto smirked. “Press releases have been prepared and sent to the major networks. Honestly, I’d rather this story break on the evening news than through the tabloids.” He gathered up a small stack of papers and began passing them around the table. “If you are interested, this is what we’ve prepared…”

* * *

“And finally, in entertainment news, it seems like billionaire Kaiba Seto, child prodigy and CEO of Kaiba Corporation, is no longer an eligible bachelor. In a statement prepared by KaibaCorp legal, Kaiba-sama is finally confirming the rumour that he is, in fact, seeing someone exclusively, and has been for nearly a year. Sources close to the nation’s top ranked executive say…”

With a click of the remote, Jou turned off the television, tears of happiness shining in his eyes. “Son of a bitch! He actually made a conscious choice!” he murmured out loud, drawing the attention of Yugi, who had been lying on the floor doing his homework. 

“What’s that, Jou?” the diminutive teen asked, looking up at his friend and gasping. “Jou…are you alright?”

The blond made a sound that was a half-laugh, half-sob as he nodded at his friend. “I’m more than ok, Yug’. Seto isn’t ashamed of me – he really is proud of me.” Quickly, he filled Yugi in on what he’d seen on the television report, the light once again dancing in his amber eyes. “I had hoped…Yug’, I’ve got to go.” Hurriedly, Jou threw on his shoes and grabbed his bike helmet.

“Jou! It’s nearly midnight! You’re not going to see Kaiba now, are you?”

The blond shook his head. “No, but I have to make sure he gets something. I’ll be back in 20 minutes, I swear it!” Jou rummaged around in his bag for a minute, stuffing an envelope into his jacket, and then bounding down the steps. He sped off into the night, parking his bike about a half block from Seto’s estate. Carefully, he opened the brunet’s mailbox and placed the envelope inside, then rang the call bell and ran down the street to make his escape. 

A few moments later, Seto stood outside his gates, staring in disbelief at the white envelope with the rose petal and chocolate kiss. ‘Damn it, Jou…I thought that this game was over,’ he mused as he turned the envelope around and tore open the flap. He frowned in confusion when, instead of the expected sheets of bond paper, he pulled out a single, white recipe card and read:

_Tomorrow, 1900 hrs_

Seto stared at the small card in disbelief. He turned it over in his hands and found nothing written on the back. Scowling, he thought, ‘What happens tomorrow night at 7:00, and where the _hell_ am I supposed to be?’ He looked up and down the deserted street for any sign of the blond, but the night was still and quiet, save for a dog barking in the distance and the irritating wail of someone’s car alarm. “Damn it!” he shouted to the darkness, the frustration evident in his voice. Seto turned on his heel and went back inside, determined that he would get some answers in the morning.

A couple of houses down, peering out from behind the cover of a large oak tree, Jounouchi Katsuya smiled.


	6. Chapter Six

As it turned out, Seto had no more answers by 7:00 the next evening than he’d had the previous night. Jounouchi had not been in school; his biology class had been out on an all-day field trip, which the brunet found irritatingly inconvenient. Even Yugi had been a dead end.

“He’s got plans for tonight, Kaiba, but he didn’t mention what they were or where he was going,” the shorter teen had said softly, his mischievous smile confirming the fact that he was obviously lying.

And, given what he’d overheard last night, Seto knew better than to ask Honda. The stocky brunet would undoubtedly send him on a wild goose chase to Shanghai or something.

Petulantly, Seto endured the lessons of the day, and then went to KaibaCorp to catch up on the work that he’d been neglecting for the past three days. He knew he needed the distraction; otherwise, he was going to drive himself crazy pacing and waiting. Settling into his office chair and opening up his email, he made sure that he paid strict attention to the time. Whatever it was that Jou was planning, he was not going to risk being late. And, at 6:45, he shut down his computer and left the office to head home to wait for Jou’s message.

When he entered the house, he found all the lights off and nobody around. “Mokuba?” he called, but received no answer. With a sigh, he shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the rack, finally noticing a quickly written note from his brother sitting on the credenza.

_Seto_

_Gone to Eido’s for the night. Back sometime tomorrow afternoon. And YES my homework is completed._

_Love you!_

With a slight flutter in his chest, he wondered if maybe Jou, too, had left something for him, but after sifting through the stack of mail, he came up empty handed. ‘Terrific. Another evening alone to rattle around in here by myself,’ he thought with dismay as he headed towards the kitchen. ‘Hell, I should have stayed at the off- “ His voice trailed off and he froze mid-step as he spied something small and dark against the pale grey of the carpet. He crouched down and as he felt the velvety texture of the object, he knew immediately that it was a rose petal. “Jou,” he whispered, hastily grabbing the small, red leaf and standing back up, his eyes scanning the room for any further signs of the blond. 

A few feet down the hallway, he spied another rose petal, and he moved to collect that one as well. Within moments, he realized that Jou had laid a trail for him to follow, and, though he felt a little silly embarking on such a quest, he could already feel the weight lifting from his heart. The rose petals led him up the stairs and stopped outside his bedroom door. Scattered across the carpet was a heavy sprinkling of the delicate petals, and on top of them were two red roses tied together with a white ribbon and a silver plate filled with chocolate kisses. 

He chuckled softly to himself as he bent down to retrieve the roses, finding Jou’s playfulness endearing. Still unsure of what to expect, he turned the doorknob to his bedroom and slowly pushed it open. Save for a couple of candles flickering by the bed, the room was completely dark, the heavy drapes having been drawn. Seto inhaled deeply, and he could smell the faint, citrusy scent of Jou’s cologne in the air – that meant that the blond was there, or had been recently. He could feel his pulse quicken as he fumbled against the wall for the light switch. 

“Leave the light off and close the door behind you,” a familiar voice commanded softly from the darkness. “The candles will give you enough light – just let your eyes adjust for a minute.”

Mutely, the brunet nodded, shutting the door softly behind him. “Jou…”

“Seto, shh. I know what you’re going to say, and it’s ok; I understand.”

“No, it’s just that…I thought I’d lost you.” As he whispered these words, his thumb instinctively sought out the thin, metal band, toying with it absently. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

From the shadows, Jou chuckled softly. “Well, you were a prick, but after this week, I think you’ve certainly earned a second chance. Just don’t blow it this time, ne? Now,” he said, his voice dropping to a seductive purr, “Why don’t you come and join me for a while?”

Seto groaned lowly at the erotic tone of his love’s voice and, following the sound of the sensual alto, he slowly made his way over to his bed, his mind already conjuring up a myriad of images. He felt a jolt of pleasure surge through his groin as his imagination ran rampant, but he was completely unprepared for the vision that lay before him, and, as a wanton moan escaped his lips, his cock pulsed painfully at the sight.

The blond was lying on his back, his arms up over his head and tucked against the pillows, the candlelight flickering across his fine features and showering his flaxen tresses with copper highlights that made them glisten like burnished gold. In the low light, his tanned skin looked bronze, and even the multitude of scars that covered his body glistened with a kind of ethereal opalescence. Jou was gloriously naked, save for a small satin napkin that had been strategically placed over his groin, his current state of mind very evident by the prominent tenting of the fabric. A small, silver, oval platter was balanced across his belly, upon which sat an assortment of fruit: whole strawberries, green grapes, chunks of fresh pineapple, cherries, and pieces of watermelon and cantaloupe cut into the shapes of hearts. His nipples were topped with whipped cream, and his entire torso had been drizzled with chocolate syrup. Jou saw Seto staring lasciviously at him, and he smiled seductively. “I thought you might like a bit of a snack first. Help yourself, but remember; take all you want, but eat all you take.”

“Jesus, Jou,” Seto breathed as he dropped to his knees at the blond’s side, his hand trembling as it hovered mere inches above the golden flesh and his eyes roving across the feast splayed out before him. His gaze locked with Jou’s, then he crushed his lips to the blond’s in a dizzying kiss, the fingers of his one hand tangling in the soft hair and forcing Jou’s head back to permit a deeper taste.

Jou moaned hungrily as his mouth was plundered by the brunet’s, and he arched slightly into the touch, giving a startled gasp and pulling away as he felt the tray teeter. “Careful,” he whispered. “You’re going to spill, and I can’t help you if you do.”

Slightly breathless, Seto quirked an eyebrow at the blond. “Help me? What are you talking about?”

Jou grinned sheepishly and lifted his arms from the pillows, revealing a pair of handcuffs that had the blond bound securely to the headboard. “Let’s just say that I’m at your complete mercy,” he purred.

Seeing his lover bound to his bed, and by his own hand no less, crumbled what little was left of Seto’s control and, taking a grape, he trailed it through some of the chocolate sauce and brought it to his lips, seeing the pleased smile on Jou’s face. “Ah, but there’s more than enough here for one – do you mind if I share with you?” Seto asked as he plucked a cherry from the tray and scooped up some of the whipped cream with it.

In response, Jou tipped his head back, closed his eyes and opened his mouth.

Again, Seto felt a slight shiver travel down his spine at the vision before him, and he carefully set the cherry on Jou’s tongue. To his surprise, Jou tugged the fruit, stem and all, from his hand, chewing slowly. After a moment, the blond stuck out his tongue, the tiny stem set in a perfect, little knot, a libidinous smirk on his lips. With a soft groan of pleasure, Seto took the stem from Jou and offered him a chocolate-dipped strawberry, eating what the blond didn’t take in his first bite.

They continued sharing in this way for some time, one having a bite and the other finishing off the morsel. When Seto picked up the last piece of pineapple, he took the tray off Jou’s abdomen and set it on the floor beside him. Taking the bright yellow cube, he brought it to Jou’s lips, but out of range for the blond to bite it. Slowly, he trailed the fruit across Jou’s lips and over his chin, following the line of Jou’s throat and dipping into the hollow at his collarbone. He took a small bite from the pineapple piece, and then fed the rest to Jou.

While the blond chewed, Seto brought his lips to Jou’s collarbone and languorously licked along the sweet trail that the juice had left back to Jou’s mouth, once again claiming his lips in a slow, deep kiss. His sapphire eyes were darkened with lust as he pulled away, a smile on his lips as he saw the brown and white abstract that had been painted on Jou’s torso. Shifting his position slightly, he moved down to slowly swirl his tongue around one of Jou’s pert, pink nipples, deftly lapping up the remnants of the whipped cream and eliciting a sharp gasp of pleasure from the blond. Chuckling softly, he leaned over Jou’s body and afforded the other hardened nub the same attention. Satisfied that the blond was suitably cleaned of whipped cream, Seto moved on to the chocolate sauce. The syrup proved to be more resilient than the cream, and when the brunet’s kittenish licks did not seem to be having an effect, he turned to long, firm strokes mixed with playful nips, garnering either a soft giggle or a needy whimper from the blond as he moved across the flat plane of Jou’s abdomen.

“Fuck Seto,” Jou growled as he once again arched into the brunet’s touch. “You haven’t even touched my cock yet and I’m ready to explode.”

“Is that so?” Seto purred, giving Jou’s ribs a playful nip. “Then I guess I’ll have to take care of that, ne?” Not giving the blond a chance to reply, he slowly pulled the satin napkin from Jou’s groin, delighting in his love’s needy hiss of pleasure as the sensual fabric grazed across his straining length. Dropping the napkin onto the tray on the floor, Seto pushed himself up onto the bed and skated his lithe frame over the blond so that he was kneeling between Jou’s thighs. Stretching out languidly, he bowed his head and brought his lips to Jou’s weeping cock head, flicking his tongue delicately across the heated flesh and gathering up the pearly essence. “God Jounouchi,” Seto replied with a shuddering whisper. “It’s been so long since I’ve last tasted you…” Closing his eyes, he swallowed Jou’s length in one fluid motion then slowly released, leaving the rigid flesh glistening with saliva. Raising his head to lock eyes with Jou, he brought his hand up to the hard shaft and began to pump with long, firm, even strokes.

“ _FUCK!_ ” Jou cried out as he thrust forcibly into the brunet’s fist, his breath coming in great, ragged gasps as he writhed under the expert touch of his lover. He could feel his release nearing; despite his best efforts to restrain himself, after a few more strokes, he felt his stomach clench, and then felt Seto’s mouth drop to his cock as he spurted his release deep into the brunet’s throat. Dropping his head back against the pillow, he could feel his body trembling as the tears began to flow uncontrollably from his eyes.

“Yummy,” Seto purred as he licked his lips sensually and slithered up the bed to nestle alongside the trembling blond. When he saw the tears leaking down his love’s face, his eyes widened in concern. Brushing the shimmering drops away with his thumb, he asked huskily, “Why are you crying? Are you having second thoughts?” The brunet was immediately filled with a strange sense of panic as the words left his lips.

Jou shook his head vigorously and nestled as well as he could against Seto’s chest. “No, it’s nothing like that,” he replied tremulously, feeling the soft exhale of breath against his cheek. “It’s just – damn it, this is going to sound stupid – I’ve never experienced anything so tender yet so erotic at the same time. And when I came, it was just a bit overwhelming.” Jou could feel his cheeks heating in embarrassment as he looked up at the brunet. “Stupid, ne?”

Seto smiled tenderly and brushed a soft kiss across Jou’s mouth. “No, Katsuya; it’s not. I love you, more than anything. And if I can make you feel that uninhibited, well…” He slipped his arms around Jou’s body and kissed him gently, pouring all the emotion he felt into that one, simple gesture. He felt the blond struggle against his restraints in an effort to move his arms, and his smile widened. “Where is the key, Jou?”

“Nightstand. Right beside the candle.”

Seto leaned over the blond and found the tiny key, quickly unlocking the bracelets and letting the handcuffs fall unceremoniously to the floor. “Now,” Seto smirked as he moved to straddle the blond’s hips, leaning forward to brush the bangs from Jou’s eyes and cup his cheeks. “I think before we do much else, a shower is in order. You’re all sticky with chocolate and fruit, and I’ve got it all over my clothes, too.”

“Mmm, sounds good,” Jou purred, moving quickly and catching Seto off-guard, knocking the brunet backwards and swiftly straddling him. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to Seto’s as he murmured, “My arms are so fucking stiff right now it’s not even funny.” He deftly ran his tongue along Seto’s lower lip, then sat up and slid off of his lover, helping him to his feet. He could feel faint stirrings in his groin as he watched the brunet pull off his clothes, and he found he had to bite back a wanton moan when he saw that Seto was just as aroused as he felt. “Seto?” he asked suddenly, his voice sounding a little uncertain.

“Yes, Jou?”

“I know it’s going to sound strange, but do you think that we could bring the candles into the bathroom with us, instead of using the harsh fluorescent lights?” He dropped his gaze to hesitantly toe the carpet. “Sappy, isn’t it?”

The brunet shook his head and smiled. “No, I think it’s an excellent idea. You are absolutely stunning by candlelight. I’ll have to remember to use it more often in the future.” Taking Jou by the hand, they each grabbed one of the large pillar candles from the nightstand and went into the bathroom, setting them on the granite countertop. After adjusting the water to a warm, soothing temperature, the two climbed into the stall, and for several moments, they simply stood in each other’s arms, being warmed by the cascade and by each other. Finally, they took turns washing one another as they traded soft kisses. It wasn’t until the water started to turn cool that Seto shut off the spray and stepped from the shower, handing Jou a large bath sheet as he dried himself off. Tossing the towels in the corner, they took their candles and returned to the bedroom. 

“Seto, wait!” Jou called out, hurriedly reaching out on the bed and grabbing a loose sheet. As he balled it up and threw it on the floor, he caught Seto’s questioning glance. With a shrug he said, “I didn’t want to take a chance of getting chocolate or anything on your silk duvet cover, so I put a drop sheet on top.”

Seto’s face broke into a smile and his heart swelled with love at the blond’s blind consideration. He stepped close to Jou, the heat from the blond’s body radiating onto his as he cupped the his love’s cheeks in his hands. “There’s one thing I wouldn’t mind getting on that duvet.”

“What’s that?” Jou asked, his voice husky.

“You,” Seto replied lowly, closing the distance between them with a sensual kiss. As Jou’s arms wrapped around his waist, he growled hungrily into the embrace, backing them both up to the edge of the bed and easing Jou down onto the mattress. As he laid his body next to Jou’s, he trailed his hand down to Jou’s penis and began to tickle his fingers across the smooth skin, quickly bringing Jou back to full hardness.

“God, Seto, I need to feel you inside me. It’s been so long…so long,” Jou panted, rolling onto his stomach and propping himself up on his elbows, his ass thrust prominently in the air.

The brunet gave a tremulous shudder at the willing submissiveness of the blond before him and, as he knelt behind him, he caressed the smooth, round cheeks, running a teasing finger along Jou’s crevasse. “Damn, Jounouchi, I love you so much,” he purred, guiding the tip of his cock to the blond’s entrance and slowly pushing past the tight ring of muscle.

Jou cried out softly at the intrusion, feeling not just his body, but his heart being filled by the brunet. He thrust his ass backwards against Seto’s body, his breath hitching in his throat when he felt Seto’s arms snake around his waist to lift him up from his kneeling position and onto his lap. “Seto, what are you doing?!” he exclaimed, fighting the instinct to squirm.

“Shh, Jounouchi,” Seto soothed, breathing softly into Jou’s ear. “Come here…” He slowly turned onto his side, and keeping his arm locked around the blond, he spooned the smaller form against him, nudging his thigh between Jou’s legs. “I just wanted to hold you for a while,” he whispered as he began to slowly thrust into his love, his lips tickling Jou’s throat, jaw and earlobe with tiny kisses.

In all the times Jou had been with Seto, never had they made love in such a slow, tender manner. He closed his eyes and leaned against the warm body behind him, mewling softly at the loving caresses the brunet was bestowing upon him. He felt Seto’s hand grasp his, their fingers entwining before trailing across Jou’s abdomen to his cock. With their conjoined hands, they began to stroke Jou’s length in time with the long, languid thrusts Seto was delivering. With a soft whimper, Jou tipped his head back, allowing the brunet easier and more complete access to his throat, his head swimming in a dizzying euphoria.

Hearing Jou’s keening cries and feeling his heated shaft against his palm, Seto growled lowly. Not having been sated earlier, he could feel his release nearing, and he pulled Jou closer to him, his licks and nips becoming more forceful as he drew closer to his climax. “God Jounouchi, I-“ The words died on his lips as he threw back his head and with a feral roar, emptied himself deep into the blond’s channel, his body trembling with the force of his release. Once his vision cleared and he was again aware of his surroundings, the brunet turned his attention to the blond’s still rigid cock. Stroking faster, he purred in Jou’s ear, “Cum for me, Jounouchi…You are most beautiful when you lose all control of yourself. Let your control slip, and give yourself to me…”

The added friction on his shaft coupled with the brunet’s commanding, yet sultry, words were more than Jou could stand. A strangled cry of pleasure was ripped from his throat as he came against his and Seto’s hands, tears of joy once again escaping his eyes as he rode the cresting wave rippling through him. Through his passion-filled haze, he was vaguely aware of Seto releasing his hand and carefully letting his spent member slip from inside him. Breathless, he turned to the brunet, who was now lying on his back, laving the remnants of their session from his fingers.

Feeling Jou shift his position, Seto settled his gaze upon Jou, his eyes locked upon the swirling pools of amber. “I reiterate what I said earlier,” he said with a smile. “Yummy.” Dipping his head, he plundered Jou’s mouth with his tongue, letting the blond taste himself as he indulged in the sweetness of Jou’s lips. Brushing a damp lock of hair from Jou’s face, he smiled softly. “It’s after midnight, Jou. You know what that means, ne?” When Jou merely cocked his head to the side, Seto whispered, “Happy anniversary, Katsuya. Would you like your present?”

“Having you back is present enough,” Jou said with finality. “Although, I wouldn’t mind going out on a real date with you, maybe.” 

“We will, Jou. Tonight. But I have something for you, too.” Without waiting for Jou’s assent, he reached into his nightstand table and pulled out a small ring box. He pulled out a thin titanium band with an inlaid ruby and sapphire chip and slowly slipped it over Jou’s finger.

Jou blinked at the ring, and then looked at Seto in confusion. “But, I already have a promise ring.”

“No,” Seto replied resolutely. “That one represents my _broken _promises. After you left, I wore that ring, and every time I looked at it, or felt it against my skin, it reminded me of what I was losing, and I shall continue to do so. This ring represents a new set of promises. Of my dedication and commitment to you, my love, and my vow to always cherish you. In time, I hope that it can become more than just a promise ring.” Seto paused, a brief look of hesitation flashing in his eyes. “Will you accept it?”__

__Jou stared incredulously at the brunet, his eyes welling with tears as he looked at their matching rings. “Yes Seto, I will accept it.” He gave his love a gentle kiss, then nestled deep into the strong arms that had wrapped protectively around him. “Good night, Seto; I love you,” he murmured from against the brunet’s chest._ _

__Seto smiled and kissed Jou on top of his head, the golden locks tickling his nose and causing it to twitch slightly. “Good night, Jou; I love you, too.” Within a few moments, he too, began to doze off. And, as he drifted off for the first time in a week, he murmured softly through the haze of sleep, “He loves me.”_ _


End file.
